Planning Directions Inc. Invests $7.62 Million in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Planning Directions Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 47,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,616,000. Philip Morris International makes up about 3.3% of Planning Directions Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 139,432,392 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,780,688,000 after buying an additional 1,167,810 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 122,584,210 shares of the company's stock worth $14,752,926,000 after acquiring an additional 4,216,586 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company's stock worth $5,866,678,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092,558 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,241,837,000 after buying an additional 3,185,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,276,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,079,262,000 after buying an additional 516,617 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on PM. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 21st. Needham & Company LLC assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $176.80.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $179.00 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $278.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.91, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.51. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $177.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.03. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $101.62 and a 12 month high of $186.69.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.40% and a net margin of 8.43%. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. Philip Morris International's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.

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