Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Invests $4.03 Million in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 33,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,032,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 133.6% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 69,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,402,000 after buying an additional 39,574 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 11,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,374,000 after buying an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $662,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,774,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,406,000 after buying an additional 85,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 5,437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $660,000 after buying an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. This trade represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PM. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM opened at $151.05 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51. The company has a market capitalization of $234.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average of $136.06 and a 200-day moving average of $129.00.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. As a group, analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

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.