Ascent Group LLC Has $12.16 Million Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Ascent Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 6.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 74,947 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,807 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $12,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.6% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,857,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,018,555,000 after buying an additional 2,235,380 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,831,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,243,429,000 after acquiring an additional 871,165 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,181,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,760,346,000 after acquiring an additional 672,983 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 24,968.0% in the 2nd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 11,275,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,041,223,000 after purchasing an additional 11,230,626 shares during the period. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 10,676,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,944,585,000 after purchasing an additional 782,536 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE PM opened at $161.99 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.12 and a 12 month high of $186.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $154.43 and a 200-day moving average of $163.35. The company has a market cap of $252.17 billion, a PE ratio of 29.35, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.42.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 106.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on PM shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.00.

Philip Morris International Profile

Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM) is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States.

PMI’s product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.