Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Insider Werner Barth Sells 10,000 Shares

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.9 %

PM opened at $154.39 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $240.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $129.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.36. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $154.64.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.22.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ascent Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 43,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,181,000 after purchasing an additional 6,715 shares during the period. Aurdan Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $7,453,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,341,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,102,000 after purchasing an additional 187,041 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 21.0% during the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 12,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,547,000 after purchasing an additional 2,234 shares during the period. Finally, Griffith & Werner Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $297,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.