Powers Advisory Group LLC Trims Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Powers Advisory Group LLC decreased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,197 shares of the company’s stock after selling 177 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PM. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 283.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 1,186,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,583,000 after purchasing an additional 876,790 shares during the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 603,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,772,000 after buying an additional 13,416 shares during the period. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $1,251,000. Nebula Research & Development LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $857,000. Finally, AJOVista LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $137,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE PM traded down $0.22 on Thursday, hitting $101.42. The company had a trading volume of 1,647,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,800,795. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.23 and a 12-month high of $104.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.81, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average of $100.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.08.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 8.58% and a negative return on equity of 113.26%. The company had revenue of $8.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.38 earnings per share. Philip Morris International’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.32 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 Monday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 21st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.13%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 101.56%.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.42, for a total transaction of $1,928,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 178,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,205,859.74. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.22.

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.