Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Makes New Investment in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 49,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,978,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Evoke Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 3,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 28,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,410,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 125,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,161,000 after acquiring an additional 2,512 shares in the last quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. BlackDiamond Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $144,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.2 %

PM opened at $153.79 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $239.12 billion, a PE ratio of 34.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $159.51. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $140.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $130.64.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (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, equities analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,495,308.62. This represents a 6.81 % 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. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.