Atria Investments Inc Sells 1,316 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Atria Investments Inc lessened its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 134,886 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,316 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $16,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 457.5% in 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 last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 3.0 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $153.98 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $134.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.43. The stock has a market cap of $239.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $159.51.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors 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 yield of 3.51%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on PM. Barclays lifted 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

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.