TCW Group Inc. Buys 543 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

TCW Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,771 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Highland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $218,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 14,242 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares during the period. Ridgepath Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ridgepath Capital Management LLC now owns 39,192 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,758,000 after buying an additional 1,446 shares during the period. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Finally, Gemmer Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $218,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on PM. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.22.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. The trade was a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $156.13 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $130.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $126.81. The stock has a market cap of $242.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $156.63.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

Philip Morris International 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.