6,049 Shares in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Purchased by Westpac Banking Corp

Westpac Banking Corp purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 6,049 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $728,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 7.2 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $150.47 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $149.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.20. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $163.08. The stock has a market cap of $234.20 billion, a PE ratio of 33.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on PM. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. The trade was a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 in the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.