Verdence Capital Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,611 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,488 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,323,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PM. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 133.6% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 69,206 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,402,000 after acquiring an additional 39,574 shares during the period. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $273,000. PDS Planning Inc increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,104 shares of the company's stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 525 shares during the period. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,270 shares of the company's stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Finally, ASB Consultores LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 46.8% during the 3rd quarter. ASB Consultores LLC now owns 7,780 shares of the company's stock worth $944,000 after buying an additional 2,481 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their target price 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. UBS Group boosted 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 3.0 %

PM opened at $153.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's 50 day moving average is $134.22 and its 200-day moving average is $128.43. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $83,674,681.94. The trade was a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International 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.

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