Vista Investment Partners LLC Reduces Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Vista Investment Partners LLC cut its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 17.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,418 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,602 shares during the period. Vista Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $893,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Marshall Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 6,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $768,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Philip Morris International by 67.3% during the fourth quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $988,000 after buying an additional 3,302 shares during the period. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. now owns 19,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,311,000 after buying an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Duncan Williams Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $260,000. Finally, Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $234,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on PM. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $127.28 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.97. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $134.15.

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 given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.24%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

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.