Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Sells 3,900 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 83,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,900 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $10,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Leavell Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,400,000 after purchasing an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 12,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,486,000 after buying an additional 3,187 shares during the period. Sovran Advisors LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $287,000. McBroom & Associates LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. McBroom & Associates LLC now owns 6,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $836,000 after buying an additional 1,189 shares during the period. Finally, Axecap Investments LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 376.2% during the 4th quarter. Axecap Investments LLC now owns 13,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,577,000 after acquiring an additional 10,350 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $148.17 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $148.53. The business’s 50-day moving average is $125.98 and its 200-day moving average is $124.29. The company has a market capitalization of $230.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 9.24%. Analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays reduced their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus 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.