Sepio Capital LP Cuts Position in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Sepio Capital LP lowered its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 18.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,346 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,578 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $4,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of PM. Virtus Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $800,000. VestGen Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. VestGen Advisors LLC now owns 13,121 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,321,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101 shares in the last quarter. Estabrook Capital Management acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the second quarter worth $30,000. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.8% during the second quarter. Bernardo Wealth Planning LLC now owns 3,584 shares of the company’s stock valued at $653,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trustmark Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.5% during the second quarter. Trustmark Bank Trust Department now owns 6,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.00.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE:PM opened at $157.25 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $155.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.85. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.12 and a 1-year high of $186.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $244.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.43.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. This is a boost from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.52%.

About Philip Morris International

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.