Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC Raises Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,817 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,385,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TFB Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 2,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 6,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $832,000 after acquiring an additional 510 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,400,000 after purchasing an additional 899 shares during the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 12,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 3,187 shares during the period. Finally, Sovran Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $287,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of PM opened at $149.94 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $126.34 and its 200 day moving average is $124.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $150.24. The company has a market capitalization of $233.13 billion, a PE ratio of 33.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.24% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.35.

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.