Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) is Auxier Asset Management's 3rd Largest Position

Auxier Asset Management trimmed its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 211,587 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,507 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International comprises about 3.9% of Auxier Asset Management's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Auxier Asset Management's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $25,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Pinney & Scofield Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 price objective (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.20.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:PM traded down $1.39 on Thursday, reaching $177.40. 3,005,593 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,231,356. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.87. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.93 and a 12 month high of $179.83. The firm has a market cap of $276.13 billion, a PE ratio of 39.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. 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 3.04%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Philip Morris International Company 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.