LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Has $2.83 Million Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 985.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,490 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,326 shares during the quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,827,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 55.5% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 128,143 shares of company stock valued at $19,092,846. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $155.26 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $241.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.43, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $158.39. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $132.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.89.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced 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 net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on PM shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

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.