Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Sold by Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC trimmed its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,669 shares of the company’s stock after selling 561 shares during the quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.1% during the first quarter. Fairfield Bush & CO. now owns 26,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,456,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 35.6% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 1,296 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in Philip Morris International by 24.7% in the 1st quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 3,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 54.9% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 14.7% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 8,987 shares of the company’s stock worth $844,000 after buying an additional 1,154 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $91.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $142.19 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $91.53 and a 200-day moving average of $92.47. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.23 and a one year high of $101.92.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $9.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.99 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 116.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.39 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.68%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. UBS Group cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $105.00 to $86.50 in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. Finally, Societe Generale raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $87.50 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $105.40.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total value of $772,447.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 94,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,860,113.27. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 5,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.46, for a total transaction of $457,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 102,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,412,880.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total transaction of $772,447.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 94,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,860,113.27. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,250 shares of company stock worth $1,411,128. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.