23,712 Shares in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Acquired by Ashburton Jersey Ltd

Ashburton Jersey Ltd acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 23,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,854,000. Philip Morris International accounts for 1.3% of Ashburton Jersey Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in 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 position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on PM. StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 7.2 %

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $150.47 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $234.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.36, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $149.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.27. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.82 and a twelve month high of $163.08.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th 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 3.59%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.