Franklin Resources Inc. Has $1.71 Billion Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,249,131 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,248,561 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.92% of Philip Morris International worth $1,714,883,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE:PM opened at $155.17 on Monday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $159.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $145.83 and its 200-day moving average is $132.19. The firm has a market cap of $241.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.41, a P/E/G 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 net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total value of $4,465,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 139,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,705,779.25. The trade was a 17.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their position. 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. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group upped their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

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.