Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Trading Down 0.9% – Time to Sell?

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)’s share price was down 0.9% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $170.33 and last traded at $170.39. Approximately 787,947 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 5,543,769 shares. The stock had previously closed at $172.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on PM shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $166.33.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $264.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $158.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.12.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 115.0% during the 1st quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% 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.