Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Sold by Royal Fund Management LLC

Royal Fund Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 47.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,792 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,940 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,060,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 17,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,054,000 after buying an additional 1,702 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 216.4% during the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 20,947 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,521,000 after purchasing an additional 14,326 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $277,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. now owns 4,938 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 2,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM opened at $123.78 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $192.46 billion, a PE ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $134.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $125.44 and a 200-day moving average of $121.61.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The firm had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays decreased their target price on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.35.

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.