Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC Lowers Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC lowered its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 327,081 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,438 shares during the period. Philip Morris International comprises 2.1% of Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $39,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at $81,495,308.62. The trade was a 6.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 126,822 shares of company stock valued at $18,906,185. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on PM shares. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $182.00 price target (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group upgraded Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $166.33.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of PM opened at $170.38 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $160.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.40. 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. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $98.93 and a 1 year high of $176.49.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given 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 dividend yield of 3.17%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 111.34%.

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.