Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Sold by Baillie Gifford & Co.

Baillie Gifford & Co. trimmed its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 12.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,922 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,690 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Strategic Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 4,292 shares of the company’s stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Keystone Financial Services increased its position in Philip Morris International by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Keystone Financial Services now owns 10,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,298,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management increased its position in Philip Morris International by 103.0% in the 4th quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 6,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $773,000 after acquiring an additional 3,257 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on PM shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays decreased their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.1 %

PM opened at $148.85 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $231.43 billion, a PE ratio of 33.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $125.52. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $151.22.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 9.24%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

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.