Two Sigma Advisers LP Reduces Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Two Sigma Advisers LP lessened its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,372,399 shares of the company’s stock after selling 157,500 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $165,168,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GQG Partners LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,866,678,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092,558 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $522,214,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 372.2% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 5,453,285 shares of the company’s stock worth $656,303,000 after purchasing an additional 4,298,530 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 122,584,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,752,926,000 after purchasing an additional 4,216,586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,241,837,000 after purchasing an additional 3,185,258 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at approximately $81,495,308.62. This represents a 6.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 126,822 shares of company stock worth $18,906,185. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $170.38 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $265.20 billion, a PE ratio of 37.78, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $160.35 and its 200 day moving average is $142.40. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.93 and a 52 week high of $176.49.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 111.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 price target (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $166.33.

Philip Morris International 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.