Equitable Trust Co. Has $1.53 Million Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Equitable Trust Co. reduced its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 12,734 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,440 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV raised its position in Philip Morris International by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV now owns 2,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Intergy Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Intergy Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. 49 Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.6% during the third quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 1.6% during the third quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,452 shares of the company’s stock valued at $662,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sargent Investment Group LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC now owns 3,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of PM stock opened at $146.58 on Tuesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $146.78. The company’s 50-day moving average is $125.66 and its 200 day moving average is $124.06. The company has a market capitalization of $227.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.24% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. As a group, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on PM shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $134.35.

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.