North Star Asset Management Inc. Sells 2,555 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

North Star Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,493 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,555 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $5,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Invst LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Invst LLC now owns 4,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $579,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,000. Pinney & Scofield Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,440,000. Finally, WCG Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 35,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,285,000 after purchasing an additional 1,580 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM opened at $178.23 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $162.60 and its 200 day moving average is $143.76. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $98.93 and a fifty-two week high of $178.70. The company has a market capitalization of $277.41 billion, a PE ratio of 39.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The company’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 111.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on PM. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.