Keating Investment Counselors Inc. Has $6.52 Million Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Keating Investment Counselors Inc. decreased its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,184 shares of the company’s stock after selling 536 shares during the period. Philip Morris International makes up approximately 2.0% of Keating Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Keating Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $6,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 83,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,067,000 after acquiring an additional 3,443 shares in the last quarter. GAM Holding AG boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 86.0% during the fourth quarter. GAM Holding AG now owns 18,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,278,000 after buying an additional 8,753 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,544,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 3,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 2,310,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,040,000 after purchasing an additional 182,314 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $139.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 transaction of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $150.60 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $234.16 billion, a PE ratio of 33.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $151.22. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $127.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.28.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.24% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

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.