Stephens Inc. AR Lowers Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,439 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,353 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $6,419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PM. Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 115.0% during the 1st quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 215 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on PM shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $220.00 target price for the company. UBS Group set a $181.00 price objective on Philip Morris International and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $188.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $186.73.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.1%

PM stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $180.88. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,322,698 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,637,960. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $104.84 and a 52 week high of $186.69. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $178.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.41. The stock has a market cap of $281.54 billion, a PE ratio of 37.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 8.43% and a negative return on equity of 122.40%. The business 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 company earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 27th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 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.