Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $41.89 Million Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 348,086 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,123 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $41,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PM. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 340,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,028,000 after purchasing an additional 20,690 shares during the last quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC now owns 29,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,593,000 after buying an additional 5,162 shares in the last quarter. Taika Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $744,000. SLT Holdings LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $665,000. Finally, Enterprise Financial Services Corp lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 5,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM opened at $151.05 on Monday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $159.51. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.14. The company has a market cap 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.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released 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%. On average, analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on PM shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.