Johnson Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,977 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $518,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in 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 last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 10,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,210,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PM shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 target price (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the business’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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE:PM opened at $170.19 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $155.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.69. The firm has a market cap of $264.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.42 and a 1-year high of $171.63.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, sell-side 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 111.34%.

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.