Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV Reduces Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV lessened its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,691 shares of the company’s stock after selling 262 shares during the quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings 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. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.56.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846 over the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.5 %

PM stock opened at $153.22 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $238.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.97, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $134.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.60. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

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.