Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC Sells 196,300 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC trimmed its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,190,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 196,300 shares during the period. Philip Morris International accounts for 7.1% of Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC owned 0.33% of Philip Morris International worth $624,641,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.1% in 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 last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $447,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Centurion Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Centurion Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $155.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $241.27 billion, a PE ratio of 34.41, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $159.51. The business’s 50 day moving average is $145.83 and its 200-day moving average is $132.10.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last 90 days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PM shares. UBS Group upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.