Allianz SE Invests $30.54 Million in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Allianz SE bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 253,987 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,544,000. Philip Morris International accounts for approximately 0.8% of Allianz SE’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 139,432,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,780,688,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167,810 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Philip Morris International by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 54,711,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,715,237,000 after buying an additional 224,840 shares in the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,866,678,000 after buying an additional 6,092,558 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 32,101,324 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,886,818,000 after acquiring an additional 621,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 21.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 16,070,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,934,083,000 after acquiring an additional 2,785,987 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE:PM opened at $155.17 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $159.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $145.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.10. The firm has a market cap of $241.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PM has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,495,308.62. This represents a 6.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company 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.