Capital International Investors Sells 4,835,948 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Capital International Investors lessened its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 92,667,279 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,835,948 shares during the period. Philip Morris International makes up 2.1% of Capital International Investors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Capital International Investors owned 5.96% of Philip Morris International worth $11,152,128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Adams Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Adams Wealth Management now owns 6,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 666 shares during the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division now owns 4,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 426,143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,250,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares during the period. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth $205,000. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 10,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,239,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on PM shares. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price 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. Finally, Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $150.78.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.6 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $163.08 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $135.62. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.65 and a 12-month high of $165.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $253.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

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.