Perpetual Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Perpetual Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 31.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,414,068 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 337,989 shares during the period. Philip Morris International accounts for approximately 2.8% of Perpetual Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Perpetual Ltd owned 0.09% of Philip Morris International worth $229,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the third quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 20,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,307,000 after purchasing an additional 4,241 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 36.0% during the 3rd quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 12,952 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,083,000 after buying an additional 3,425 shares during the last quarter. Centurion Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter. Centurion Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,689 shares of the company’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgepath Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 0.7% in the third quarter. Ridgepath Capital Management LLC now owns 39,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,446,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE PM opened at $157.07 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.12 and a 12 month high of $186.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $244.49 billion, a PE ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.59.

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

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on PM. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $177.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on Philip Morris International from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $189.00.

Philip Morris International Profile

Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM) is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States.

PMI’s product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.