LexAurum Advisors LLC Takes Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

LexAurum Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $245,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the first quarter worth about $5,634,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 25.4% in the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,151,000 after purchasing an additional 6,974 shares in the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 165.6% during the first quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 38,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,541,000 after purchasing an additional 24,093 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 11.5% during the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 90,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,465,000 after buying an additional 9,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 31,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,203,000 after buying an additional 4,793 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $103.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.95.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE PM opened at $120.20 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.23 and a one year high of $128.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. Philip Morris International’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.60 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.49%. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 105.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total transaction of $1,038,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 85,629 shares in the company, valued at $9,877,305.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 158,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,906,095.47. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 85,629 shares in the company, valued at $9,877,305.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company 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.