Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,113,991 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 63,244 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $374,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PM. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 55.5% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 11.0 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $145.41 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $146.78. The stock has a market cap of $226.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $125.17 and a 200-day moving average of $123.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.5 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

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.