Northstar Financial Companies Inc. Makes New Investment in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $957,000. Philip Morris International accounts for approximately 0.9% of Northstar Financial Companies Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PM. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group raised Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 price objective (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.20.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of PM traded up $2.87 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $180.74. 8,505,072 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,634,442. The firm has a market cap of $281.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.93 and a 12-month high of $181.29. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $164.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.23.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is 111.34%.

About Philip Morris International

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.