Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Stock Position Lowered by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,014,387 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,100 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.13% of Philip Morris International worth $242,431,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV raised its position in Philip Morris International by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV now owns 2,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC now owns 3,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthstream Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealthstream Advisors Inc. now owns 2,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on PM shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 3.0 %

NYSE PM opened at $153.98 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $239.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.14, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $134.22 and a 200-day moving average of $128.43. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.