Sunbelt Securities Inc. Increases Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 328.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,656 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,606 shares during the quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 price objective (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.20.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE:PM traded up $1.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $179.23. 5,815,628 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,611,922. The stock has a market capitalization of $278.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.74, 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 $179.79. The company's 50 day moving average price is $163.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.39.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released 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. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Philip Morris International's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 111.34%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.