West Family Investments Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

West Family Investments Inc. raised its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 47.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,154 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,613 shares during the quarter. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,485,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the second quarter worth $25,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 566.7% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Briaud Financial Planning Inc boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 266.7% during the second quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at $30,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on PM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Philip Morris International from $177.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $180.00 target price on Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.00.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM opened at $157.25 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $155.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.81. The company has a market cap of $244.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.49, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.43. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $116.12 and a one year high of $186.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. As a group, analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. This is a boost from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 3rd. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.52%.

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.