Convergence Investment Partners LLC Trims Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Convergence Investment Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,442 shares of the company’s stock after selling 82 shares during the quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,016,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $149.64 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $125.90. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $151.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $232.67 billion, a PE ratio of 33.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PM has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, 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, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $141.22.

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.