Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 929,792 Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 929,792 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $111,900,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.06% of Philip Morris International at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 56,737 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,828,000 after buying an additional 10,703 shares in the last quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 94,423 shares of the company's stock worth $11,364,000 after acquiring an additional 9,789 shares during the period. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 80.9% during the fourth quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,660 shares of the company's stock valued at $922,000 after acquiring an additional 3,425 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,027,000 after purchasing an additional 2,023 shares during the period. Finally, Symmetry Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,966,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:PM traded up $2.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $180.74. The stock had a trading volume of 8,502,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,627,425. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $164.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.23. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $98.93 and a one year high of $181.29. The company has a market capitalization of $281.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Philip Morris International's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the company from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 target price (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.