Insider Selling: Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Insider Sells 3,679 Shares of Stock

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE PM traded down $2.50 on Friday, reaching $151.05. 4,585,455 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,166,635. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $159.51. The company has a market cap of $234.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.78.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its 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 negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. As a group, equities research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PM shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Omnia Family Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Balboa Wealth Partners increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.