Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Purchased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV raised its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 8.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 129,876 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,284 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $15,631,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $93,000. Apexium Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 4,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $531,000 after buying an additional 1,354 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 32,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,944,000 after buying an additional 5,486 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 29,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,537,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares during the period. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 126.6% in the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 2,221 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM opened at $129.06 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $134.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.66 billion, a PE ratio of 20.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.54.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on PM shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.35.

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.