Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Makes New Investment in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 447,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,878,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PM shares. 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 target for the company. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM stock opened at $150.47 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.20. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $163.08. The firm has a market cap of $234.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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, research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. 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 (DPR) is currently 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.