Advisory Alpha LLC Sells 827 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Advisory Alpha LLC trimmed its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 17.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,831 shares of the company’s stock after selling 827 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $608,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $180.74 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $165.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.77. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.93 and a 1-year high of $181.36. The company has a market cap of $281.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PM. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Needham & Company LLC initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $182.00 target price (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group raised Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.