Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Purchased by Laurion Capital Management LP

Laurion Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 67.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 95,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,107 shares during the quarter. Laurion Capital Management LP’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $11,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $169.61 on Monday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $98.93 and a 1 year high of $176.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $264.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $158.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.18.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 111.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on PM. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 price target (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.33.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This trade represents a 8.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.