Zhang Financial LLC Decreases Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Zhang Financial LLC lessened its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,928 shares of the company’s stock after selling 712 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wheelhouse Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $243,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 90.8% during the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $689,000 after purchasing an additional 3,486 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 172,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,211,000 after purchasing an additional 6,303 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ninety One SA PTY Ltd lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Ninety One SA PTY Ltd now owns 128,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,123,000 after purchasing an additional 23,613 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total value of $772,447.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 94,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,860,113.27. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total transaction of $772,447.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 94,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,860,113.27. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.46, for a total value of $457,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,412,880.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,411,128. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $86.50 in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, Societe Generale raised Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $87.50 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $105.40.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 2.8 %

PM opened at $93.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $145.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.61. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.23 and a 52 week high of $100.79. The business’s 50 day moving average is $91.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.03.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $9.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 116.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 103.59%.

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.