Range Financial Group LLC Acquires 19,127 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Range Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 504.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,915 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,127 shares during the period. Philip Morris International accounts for approximately 1.3% of Range Financial Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Range Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Lantz Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 5,651 shares of the company’s stock worth $573,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 77,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,889,000 after purchasing an additional 1,854 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Certuity LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 25.6% in the 2nd quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 7,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $806,000 after purchasing an additional 1,622 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 13,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 1,352 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were 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. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the sale, the chairman now directly 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. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $121.39. 4,933,305 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,009,037. The company has a market cap of $188.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $127.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.30. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $134.15.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.50.

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.