Atlas Brown Inc. Decreases Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Atlas Brown Inc. lowered its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,942 shares of the company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. Atlas Brown Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $715,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. MGO One Seven LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 0.3% during the second quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 29,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,950,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 6.7% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 2,027,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $205,454,000 after acquiring an additional 128,025 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 24.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $882,000 after acquiring an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $138,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock traded down $4.65 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $117.21. 3,589,876 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,890,908. The company’s fifty day moving average is $126.60 and its 200-day moving average is $120.47. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $134.15. The firm has a market cap of $182.24 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.54.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.61%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays dropped their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $130.39.

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.