Cullen Capital Management LLC Sells 133,895 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Cullen Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,023,928 shares of the company’s stock after selling 133,895 shares during the period. Philip Morris International comprises approximately 2.8% of Cullen Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Cullen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $243,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $150.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $234.20 billion, a PE ratio of 33.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $163.08. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $149.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $133.20.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. The trade was a 8.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on PM shares. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.56.

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.