Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 572,801 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,655 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International accounts for 1.3% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $68,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $144.40 on Monday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.82 and a twelve month high of $146.78. The stock has a market cap of $224.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $125.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.97.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.74%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.35.

Philip Morris International 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.