American Investment Services Inc. Purchases 294 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

American Investment Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 22,140 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. American Investment Services Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PM. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 10,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,030,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $460,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 41.4% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 7,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $720,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 3,630 shares of the company’s stock worth $341,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on PM shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.05.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $120.79 on Monday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.23 and a 52 week high of $128.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $118.17 and a 200-day moving average of $104.76.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.60 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 26th. This is an increase from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.47%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is 105.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 158,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,906,095.47. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 158,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,906,095.47. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total transaction of $1,038,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 85,629 shares in the company, valued at $9,877,305.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.