NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan Has $4.24 Million Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan cut its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 35,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,800 shares during the quarter. NJ State Employees Deferred Compensation Plan’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $4,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 55.5% in the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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 sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. The trade was a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of PM stock opened at $158.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $246.88 billion, a PE ratio of 35.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.18. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $158.85.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. On average, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.40%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

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.