Blue Whale Capital LLP Acquires 43,604 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Blue Whale Capital LLP raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 454,155 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,604 shares during the period. Philip Morris International accounts for about 4.1% of Blue Whale Capital LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Blue Whale Capital LLP’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $54,658,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of PM. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $206,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 85.9% during the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 44,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,347,000 after purchasing an additional 20,350 shares in the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth $355,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 3,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 7.2 %

Shares of PM stock opened at $150.47 on Monday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $163.08. The business’s 50 day moving average is $149.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.35. The company has a market capitalization of $234.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. On average, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on PM. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at $81,495,308.62. The trade was a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.