Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM – Get Rating) by 5.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,513 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,084 shares during the quarter. Kavar Capital Partners Group LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,927,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 94,109,468 shares of the company's stock worth $8,940,401,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179,980 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 56,505,116 shares of the company's stock worth $5,437,859,000 after acquiring an additional 1,992,512 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,333,383 shares of the company's stock worth $2,590,702,000 after acquiring an additional 214,617 shares during the period. Fundsmith LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Fundsmith LLP now owns 20,423,427 shares of the company's stock worth $1,940,226,000 after acquiring an additional 1,069,807 shares during the period. Finally, GQG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 14,402,976 shares of the company's stock worth $1,368,162,000 after acquiring an additional 166,463 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.78% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PM. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $104.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Philip Morris International from $107.00 to $99.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 19th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $107.00 to $117.00 in a research note on Sunday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $110.33.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.6 %

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 21st. The company reported $1.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.22. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 115.36% and a net margin of 11.05%. The firm had revenue of $7.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 1st were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 30th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.09%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.91%.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

(Get Rating)

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 that are sold in markets outside the United States.

Recommended Stories

• Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Philip Morris International (PM)
• Chipotle Mexican Grill Or Shake Shak? Which Is The Tastier Play
• Activision Blizzard Banks On A Flurry Of New Content
• Energy Transfer Is A Value Among High-Yield Energy Infrastructure
• Devon Energy Looks Attractive if You Look Past the Headlines
• The Institutions Are Buying Under Armor Again

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM – Get Rating).

Receive News & Ratings for Philip Morris International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Philip Morris International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.