Farmers Trust Co. Grows Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Farmers Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 21.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,574 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,162 shares during the period. Philip Morris International makes up 1.6% of Farmers Trust Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Farmers Trust Co.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $8,345,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on PM shares. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price target (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.20.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the sale, the insider now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded up $2.87 on Friday, reaching $180.74. The company had a trading volume of 8,505,072 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,626,797. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $165.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.62. The firm has a market cap of $281.32 billion, a PE ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.93 and a 52-week high of $181.36.

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, topping 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 firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

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