Capital Investment Counsel Inc Trims Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Capital Investment Counsel Inc decreased its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 9.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,190 shares of the company’s stock after selling 227 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Concord Wealth Partners increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM opened at $151.68 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $129.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.08. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $152.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $235.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.22.

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.