North Star Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

North Star Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 49,493 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,555 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $5,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PM. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 139,432,392 shares of the company's stock worth $16,780,688,000 after purchasing an additional 1,167,810 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 122,584,210 shares of the company's stock worth $14,752,926,000 after purchasing an additional 4,216,586 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company's stock worth $5,866,678,000 after purchasing an additional 6,092,558 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company's stock worth $4,241,837,000 after purchasing an additional 3,185,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,276,790 shares of the company's stock worth $2,079,262,000 after purchasing an additional 516,617 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM traded up $1.04 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $179.23. 5,847,071 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,611,928. The stock has a market cap of $278.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The stock's 50-day moving average is $163.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.39. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.93 and a 12 month high of $179.79.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. Research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 111.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on PM shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group raised Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.20.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the business'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 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. The trade was a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company 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.