Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Sold by Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 23,314 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,520 shares during the period. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $2,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 5,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $608,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 337,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,654,000 after purchasing an additional 3,601 shares in the last quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at about $344,000. Contrarius Group Holdings Ltd purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,475,000. Finally, Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in Philip Morris International by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,117 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PM opened at $152.12 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $141.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $130.95. The company has a market capitalization of $236.53 billion, a PE ratio of 33.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on PM. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.