RWC Asset Management LLP Cuts Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

RWC Asset Management LLP cut its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 43.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 139,371 shares of the company’s stock after selling 106,249 shares during the quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $16,773,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 40.9% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,168,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,649,000 after acquiring an additional 6,721,094 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,241,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,121,932,000 after acquiring an additional 3,363,454 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 161.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,943,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,936,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,636 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 14,611.4% in the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,173,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,467,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 44.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,170,549 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,432,000 after purchasing an additional 969,198 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $154.39 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $129.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $126.52. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $154.64. The stock has a market cap of $240.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.23, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 128,143 shares of company stock valued at $19,092,846 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PM has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. 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 research note on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.22.

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.