ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 200 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 3.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,238 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PM. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 684.4% during the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Sachetta LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 64.8% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 250.0% during the first quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 57.4% in the second quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 318 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 85,629 shares in the company, valued at $9,877,305.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 85,629 shares in the company, valued at $9,877,305.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 158,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,906,095.47. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $120.86 on Thursday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.23 and a 52-week high of $128.22. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $121.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.10. The firm has a market cap of $187.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.02. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. The firm had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.60 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.47%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $120.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. One research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.95.

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.