Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Shares Sold by ERTS Wealth Advisors LLC

ERTS Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 12.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,440 shares of the company’s stock after selling 355 shares during the quarter. ERTS Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $294,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% during the 3rd quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,457,000 after buying an additional 4,999 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 504.9% in the 4th quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,758,000 after purchasing an additional 19,127 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. grew its position in Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% in the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,125,000 after acquiring an additional 201,294 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,134,000 after buying an additional 16,035 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,912,000 after acquiring an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $123.78 on Wednesday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $134.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $192.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.76.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on PM shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.35.

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.