Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co Boosts Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,328 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 850 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,206,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.7 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $170.09 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $156.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.96. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $95.88 and a 12-month high of $172.03. The stock has a market cap of $264.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.71, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group raised Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,495,308.62. This trade represents a 6.81 % decrease in their position. 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. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.