B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Invests $2.79 Million in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 22,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,791,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 14.2% during the first quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,084,000 after acquiring an additional 2,820 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 20.1% in the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 282,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,869,000 after buying an additional 47,350 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 48,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,443,000 after purchasing an additional 3,084 shares during the period. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 16.0% during the first quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC now owns 36,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,378,000 after buying an additional 5,087 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 322.7% in the first quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 596 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target 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. Citigroup upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.50.

Insider Activity

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

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM stock opened at $131.26 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $124.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.39.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The business had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.11%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 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.