Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Decreases Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. reduced its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 35.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,137 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,779 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the third quarter worth approximately $206,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 38.5% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 561 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 46,037 shares of the company's stock worth $5,589,000 after purchasing an additional 1,544 shares during the period. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 225.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 23,379 shares of the company's stock worth $2,841,000 after purchasing an additional 16,194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 567.0% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,672 shares of the company's stock worth $6,152,000 after purchasing an additional 43,075 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM traded up $1.11 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $170.28. 5,346,448 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,569,066. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.42 and a 1 year high of $171.63. The stock has a market cap of $265.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $155.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.16.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 earnings per share. Philip Morris International's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 111.34%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on PM shares. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. UBS Group upgraded Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 price objective (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.00.

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.