Voloridge Investment Management LLC Has $44.70 Million Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Voloridge Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 49.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 371,419 shares of the company’s stock after selling 360,051 shares during the quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $44,700,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 56,737 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,828,000 after buying an additional 10,703 shares in the last quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Empire Life Investments Inc. now owns 94,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,364,000 after acquiring an additional 9,789 shares in the last quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 80.9% during the fourth quarter. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $922,000 after acquiring an additional 3,425 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,027,000 after purchasing an additional 2,023 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Symmetry Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $1,966,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PM. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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, February 18th. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $166.33.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM opened at $174.10 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $270.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.92. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $98.93 and a one year high of $176.49.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 111.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 126,822 shares of company stock valued at $18,906,185. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.