Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Sells 15,102 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 222,711 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,102 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $26,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:PM traded down $2.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $169.61. 4,733,416 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,571,491. The firm has a market capitalization of $264.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $158.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.12. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.93 and a 12 month high of $176.49.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. Philip Morris International's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PM has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 price objective (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $166.33.

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.