Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Stock Holdings Trimmed by GTS Securities LLC

GTS Securities LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 40.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,900 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,153 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,793,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of PM. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund grew its position in Philip Morris International by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 56,737 shares of the company's stock worth $6,828,000 after buying an additional 10,703 shares during the period. Empire Life Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 94,423 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,364,000 after acquiring an additional 9,789 shares during the period. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 80.9% during the 4th quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,660 shares of the company's stock worth $922,000 after acquiring an additional 3,425 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,531 shares of the company's stock worth $1,027,000 after acquiring an additional 2,023 shares during the period. Finally, Symmetry Investments LP purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,966,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on PM. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the company from $130.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $169.20.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE PM traded down $2.37 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $176.43. 2,097,682 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,598,033. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $164.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $144.87. The company has a market capitalization of $274.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.93 and a 52-week high of $179.83.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. Philip Morris International's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.