Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Increases Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 105,661 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,679 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $10,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Argent Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.8% during the second quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 58,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,949,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.4% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 197,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,055,000 after purchasing an additional 2,674 shares during the last quarter. True Vision MN LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the second quarter worth $397,000. Wealth Alliance grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.8% in the second quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 28,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,844,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% in the second quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 220,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,370,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $123.23 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.57 billion, a PE ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50-day moving average is $117.21 and its 200-day moving average is $104.13. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.23 and a fifty-two week high of $128.22.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.60 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.45 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 26th. This is an increase from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.38%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on PM shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Barclays increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.05.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 158,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,906,095.47. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 158,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,906,095.47. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 85,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,877,305.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Philip Morris International 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.