Paragon Financial Partners Inc. Sells 8,334 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Paragon Financial Partners Inc. lowered its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 47.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,268 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,334 shares during the period. Philip Morris International comprises about 0.8% of Paragon Financial Partners Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Paragon Financial Partners Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 40.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,168,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,649,000 after buying an additional 6,721,094 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,241,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,121,932,000 after buying an additional 3,363,454 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 161.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,943,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,936,000 after buying an additional 1,200,636 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 14,611.4% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,173,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,467,000 after buying an additional 1,165,554 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 13,666.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 999,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,367,000 after purchasing an additional 992,467 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.7 %

PM stock opened at $122.91 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $125.43 and a 200-day moving average of $121.76. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $134.15. The firm has a market cap of $191.11 billion, a PE ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.54.

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

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.