Stephens Inc. AR Reduces Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Stephens Inc. AR cut its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,792 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,941 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $5,150,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% during the third quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,457,000 after buying an additional 4,999 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 504.9% during the 4th quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,758,000 after acquiring an additional 19,127 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% during the 3rd quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,125,000 after acquiring an additional 201,294 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,134,000 after acquiring an additional 16,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,912,000 after purchasing an additional 6,605 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $146.58 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $227.91 billion, a PE ratio of 32.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $146.78. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.06.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 9.24%. Research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. 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 3.68%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.35.

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.