Transcend Capital Advisors LLC Sells 998 Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC cut its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 7,385 shares of the company’s stock after selling 998 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Concord Wealth Partners raised its position 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 worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM opened at $154.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $240.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.23, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.45. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $154.64.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is 119.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.22.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,674,681.94. The trade was a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.