Schroder Investment Management Group Decreases Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Schroder Investment Management Group lessened its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 316,309 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,175 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $37,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $158.08 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $159.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $147.25 and its 200 day moving average is $132.66. The stock has a market cap of $245.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.05, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.56.

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.