Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Sold by Financial Advocates Investment Management

Financial Advocates Investment Management lowered its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,793 shares of the company’s stock after selling 676 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,540,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% during the third quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,457,000 after buying an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 504.9% during the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,758,000 after acquiring an additional 19,127 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,125,000 after acquiring an additional 201,294 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,134,000 after acquiring an additional 16,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,912,000 after purchasing an additional 6,605 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 11.0 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $145.41 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.08, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $125.17 and a 200-day moving average of $123.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $146.78.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. On average, research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

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.