BankPlus Trust Department Makes New $303,000 Investment in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $303,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter valued at $218,000. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 14,242 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,729,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares during the period. Ridgepath Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ridgepath Capital Management LLC now owns 39,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,758,000 after buying an additional 1,446 shares during the period. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Gemmer Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter valued at $218,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock valued at $19,092,846. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.22.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $156.13 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $130.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $126.81. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $156.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $242.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55.

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 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

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.