Philip Morris International Inc. $PM Shares Sold by Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. trimmed its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 21,195 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,503 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,362,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in PM. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the second quarter worth $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1,677.8% in the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Estabrook Capital Management acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 266.7% during the 2nd quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of PM stock opened at $173.06 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $125.53 and a 12-month high of $186.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $159.22 and a 200-day moving average of $161.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $269.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.40.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $2.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.14. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.14% and a net margin of 9.33%.The firm had revenue of $10.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.91 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 106.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on PM shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $220.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $184.56.

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM) is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States.

PMI’s product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.