PFG Investments LLC Increases Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

PFG Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 299.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,778 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,827 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,179,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PM. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the third quarter worth about $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $95.02. The stock had a trading volume of 5,391,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,541,754. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.61. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.23 and a 12 month high of $100.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $91.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.18.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.83% and a negative return on equity of 113.26%. The company had revenue of $8.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 21st were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.47%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is 101.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.42, for a total transaction of $1,928,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 178,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,205,859.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total transaction of $772,447.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 94,629 shares in the company, valued at $8,860,113.27. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.42, for a total transaction of $1,928,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 178,447 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,205,859.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,250 shares of company stock worth $3,339,528. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on PM. Argus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $86.50 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Societe Generale raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $87.50 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $105.50.

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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