Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Acquired by Argent Trust Co

Argent Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,764 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,408 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $7,313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 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 stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 113.8% in the 4th quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 357 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.8 %

PM stock traded up $1.25 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $153.05. 801,687 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,556,567. The company has a market cap of $238.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $151.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.20. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $163.08.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

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.