Optas LLC Invests $268,000 in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Optas LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $268,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 25.4% in the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,151,000 after acquiring an additional 6,974 shares during the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 165.6% in the first quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 38,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,541,000 after acquiring an additional 24,093 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 17.9% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 31,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,203,000 after acquiring an additional 4,793 shares during the last quarter. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 68.0% during the second quarter. Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. now owns 20,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,117,000 after buying an additional 8,455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.5% during the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 289,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,320,000 after buying an additional 7,000 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,402,431.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,402,431.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 959,761 shares in the company, valued at $124,624,965.85. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 118,418 shares of company stock valued at $15,247,052 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. StockNews.com raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.85.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 1.5 %

PM opened at $130.65 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $123.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.47. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $134.15. The firm has a market cap of $203.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.74, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.54.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. The firm had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 EPS. Philip Morris International’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 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 paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. 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. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.13%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

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.