West Bancorporation Inc. Buys Shares of 1,445 Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

West Bancorporation Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,445 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $229,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 115.0% during the 1st quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 215 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on PM shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $205.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Friday, June 13th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, 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 note on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $176.80.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of PM stock traded up $3.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $179.00. 2,734,143 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,634,419. The firm has a market capitalization of $278.62 billion, a PE ratio of 36.91, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.51. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $100.80 and a 1-year high of $186.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $177.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.59.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 8.43% and a negative return on equity of 122.40%. The company's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. Research analysts expect 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 disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.