Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Sold by Auxier Asset Management

Auxier Asset Management cut its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 211,587 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,507 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International makes up about 3.9% of Auxier Asset Management's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Auxier Asset Management's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $25,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on PM shares. UBS Group raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 target price (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $169.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company'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 owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $178.77. 3,283,733 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,602,656. The company has a market cap of $278.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $98.93 and a fifty-two week high of $179.83. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.64.

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. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is presently 111.34%.

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.