United Asset Strategies Inc. Acquires 2,890 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 71,498 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,890 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $6,726,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 603,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,772,000 after buying an additional 13,416 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the third quarter valued at approximately $11,288,000. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 5.5% in the third quarter. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 147,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,655,000 after purchasing an additional 7,726 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 50,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,785,000 after purchasing an additional 20,918 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chiron Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the third quarter. Chiron Investment Management LLC now owns 354,558 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,825,000 after purchasing an additional 6,981 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on PM shares. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $105.00 to $86.50 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, Societe Generale upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $87.50 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $105.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.46, for a total transaction of $457,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 102,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,412,880.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.46, for a total transaction of $457,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 102,918 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,412,880.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 2,000 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,726 shares in the company, valued at $882,050.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,411,128. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.8 %

PM traded up $0.72 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $89.32. 1,249,812 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,457,693. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.23 and a 1-year high of $101.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $91.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.05. The stock has a market cap of $138.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.65, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.61.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.08). Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 116.29% and a net margin of 8.53%. The business had revenue of $9.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.59%.

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.