Fundsmith LLP Reduces Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Fundsmith LLP cut its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,245,175 shares of the company's stock after selling 767,484 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International makes up approximately 5.8% of Fundsmith LLP's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Fundsmith LLP owned about 0.72% of Philip Morris International worth $1,353,357,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GQG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,866,678,000 after buying an additional 6,092,558 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth about $522,214,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 372.2% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 5,453,285 shares of the company's stock valued at $656,303,000 after purchasing an additional 4,298,530 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 122,584,210 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,752,926,000 after purchasing an additional 4,216,586 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,241,837,000 after purchasing an additional 3,185,258 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PM traded down $2.39 during trading on Friday, hitting $169.61. The company had a trading volume of 4,733,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,571,491. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.93 and a 52 week high of $176.49. The business's 50-day moving average is $158.92 and its 200 day moving average is $141.12. The company has a market cap of $264.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.61, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PM. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 price objective (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $166.33.

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.