22,952 Shares in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Acquired by Mufg Securities Americas Inc.

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 22,952 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,762,000.

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

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock traded up $1.24 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $170.38. 3,802,405 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,608,683. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $98.93 and a fifty-two week high of $176.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $265.20 billion, a PE ratio of 37.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $159.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.99.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 126,822 shares of company stock valued at $18,906,185. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price target (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.33.

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.