Capital International Sarl Decreases Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Capital International Sarl lowered its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 9.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 457,702 shares of the company’s stock after selling 45,677 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International comprises 1.3% of Capital International Sarl’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Capital International Sarl’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $55,084,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter valued at $206,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 38.5% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 561 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 46,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,589,000 after purchasing an additional 1,544 shares during the period. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 23,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,841,000 after purchasing an additional 16,194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 567.0% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,152,000 after buying an additional 43,075 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM opened at $163.08 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $253.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $90.65 and a 1 year high of $165.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $153.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.62.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on PM shares. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $150.78.

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.