Czech National Bank Boosts Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 337,119 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 20,390 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $40,572,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% during the 3rd quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,457,000 after buying an additional 4,999 shares during the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 504.9% during the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,758,000 after acquiring an additional 19,127 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. raised its position in Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% in the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,125,000 after purchasing an additional 201,294 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,912,000 after purchasing an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth $692,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $130.39.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,402,431.64. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $117.25 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $182.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $134.15. The company’s fifty day moving average is $126.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.84.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

Philip Morris International 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.