Insider Selling: Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) SVP Sells 2,500 Shares of Stock

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.9 %

PM stock opened at $154.39 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $129.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.36. The stock has a market cap of $240.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $154.64.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Barclays reduced their price objective on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $141.22.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 43,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,181,000 after buying an additional 6,715 shares during the last quarter. Aurdan Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $7,453,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,341,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,102,000 after buying an additional 187,041 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 12,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,547,000 after buying an additional 2,234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Griffith & Werner Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $297,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.