447,097 Shares in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Bought by Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 447,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,878,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Western Trust Bank raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. First Western Trust Bank now owns 6,985 shares of the company’s stock valued at $841,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Forge Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 89.6% during the fourth quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 13,647 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,642,000 after purchasing an additional 6,451 shares in the last quarter. Resolute Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at $242,000. Finally, Yoffe Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $590,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $150.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $234.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $163.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $149.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.20.

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, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is 119.73%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,495,308.62. The trade was a 6.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on PM. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.