Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Trims Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 101,789 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,271 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $18,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 24,968.0% in the second quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 11,275,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,041,223,000 after purchasing an additional 11,230,626 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the first quarter worth about $1,712,994,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 26.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 21,840,422 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,466,730,000 after buying an additional 4,563,632 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 57.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 9,794,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,554,686,000 after buying an additional 3,575,158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 22.2% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,018,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,431,527,000 after acquiring an additional 1,635,636 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 3.2%

PM stock opened at $156.91 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.25 billion, a PE ratio of 28.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.12 and a 52 week high of $186.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $162.64 and a 200 day moving average of $168.72.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 120.17%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 3rd. This is a boost from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Philip Morris International from $177.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 5th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 target price on Philip Morris International and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $194.00.

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.