United Community Bank Has $1.23 Million Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

United Community Bank lowered its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,238 shares of the company’s stock after selling 385 shares during the quarter. United Community Bank’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM stock opened at $151.05 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $136.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $129.07. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $159.51. The company has a market cap of $234.87 billion, a PE ratio of 33.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) 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 7.89%. Equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.57%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

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.