Wintrust Investments LLC Trims Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Wintrust Investments LLC decreased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 22.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,348 shares of the company’s stock after selling 684 shares during the period. Wintrust Investments LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC increased 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value of $5,954,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,495,308.62. This trade represents a 6.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned 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 price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE PM opened at $151.23 on Thursday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $159.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $137.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.73.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

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.