Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. Trims Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. decreased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 40,183 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,606 shares during the quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $4,836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth 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. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company's stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Balboa Wealth Partners grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company's stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 10,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,210,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on PM shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $166.33.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.5%

Philip Morris International stock opened at $174.10 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $270.99 billion, a PE ratio of 38.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.93 and a 12 month high of $176.49. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $161.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $142.92.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 of the company's stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 126,822 shares of company stock valued at $18,906,185. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Philip Morris International

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.

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