Clearbridge Investments LLC Takes $460,000 Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Clearbridge Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,893 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $460,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 158.0% during the 4th quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 454 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE PM opened at $99.93 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $155.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.60. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.23 and a 12 month high of $101.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $94.74 and a 200-day moving average of $93.27.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $8.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 113.26% and a net margin of 8.58%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is 101.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Societe Generale raised Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $87.50 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total transaction of $772,447.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 94,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,860,113.27. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.69, for a total transaction of $181,380.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $882,050.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total value of $772,447.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 94,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,860,113.27. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,250 shares of company stock valued at $3,339,528 in the last quarter. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Philip Morris International

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.