Blue Trust Inc. Boosts Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 20.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,490 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,486 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PM. PFG Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 29,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,537,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 126.6% during the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 2,221 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 10,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,281,000 after buying an additional 3,004 shares during the last quarter. MKT Advisors LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. MKT Advisors LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 6,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $768,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE PM opened at $127.28 on Monday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $134.15. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $125.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.11. The stock has a market cap of $197.89 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.54.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.24%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PM. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.