Groupama Asset Managment Cuts Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Groupama Asset Managment reduced its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 50.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 57,425 shares of the company's stock after selling 59,569 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $6,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of PM. Edgestream Partners L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 144.5% during the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 13,172 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,599,000 after acquiring an additional 7,784 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,077,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter valued at $231,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Philip Morris International by 337.3% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 44,814 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,441,000 after buying an additional 34,565 shares during the period. Finally, Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $384,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on PM shares. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $144.56.

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Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded up $6.04 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $162.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 10,578,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,493,627. The stock has a market cap of $252.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $148.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.03. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $163.04.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % 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 three months. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.