HighVista Strategies LLC Sells 600 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

HighVista Strategies LLC reduced its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 600 shares during the period. HighVista Strategies LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,323,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PM. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Philip Morris International by 31.2% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 13,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 3,109 shares in the last quarter. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the second quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the second quarter worth $34,000. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 35.8% during the second quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,370,000 after buying an additional 3,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Apella Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the second quarter worth $263,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of PM opened at $130.99 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $203.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.99. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. This is a boost from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.12%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on PM. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.50.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Philip Morris International Company 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.