Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Bought by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 46.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 147,363 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,542 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $17,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock 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 report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM stock opened at $151.25 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $159.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $142.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $131.14.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.