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

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lessened its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 583,456 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,906 shares during the quarter. Philip Morris International comprises 1.4% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $70,832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PM. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% in the third quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,457,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,125,000 after buying an additional 201,294 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,390 shares of the company's stock worth $3,151,000 after acquiring an additional 6,974 shares during the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth $692,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 17.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 31,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,203,000 after acquiring an additional 4,793 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 95,418 shares in the company, valued at $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $124,624,965.85. This represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 2.4 %

NYSE:PM traded up $2.96 on Thursday, reaching $128.20. 6,815,617 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,398,920. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $134.15. The business has a fifty day moving average of $124.19 and a 200-day moving average of $113.11.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.21%. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.85.

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.