New York State Common Retirement Fund Sells 18,600 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lessened its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,050,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,600 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $246,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Concord Wealth Partners raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE:PM opened at $148.85 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $151.22. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $128.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $231.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its 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, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays lowered their price objective on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.22.

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.