Insider Selling: Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) VP Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $150.60 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $151.22. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $127.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.14. The company has a market capitalization of $234.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 9.24%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on PM shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $139.56.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 10,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.