Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Acquired by IFG Advisors LLC

IFG Advisors LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 11.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,620 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 867 shares during the quarter. IFG Advisors LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,037,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PM. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 55.5% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.8 %

PM stock opened at $155.26 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $158.39. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the 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 directly owns 106,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This trade represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock valued at $19,092,846. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on PM. UBS Group increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Company 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.