Trust Co. of Vermont Decreases Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Trust Co. of Vermont lowered its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 2.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,519 shares of the company’s stock after selling 350 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,987,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PM. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on PM. Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $220.00 price target (up from $205.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 target price (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.80.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM opened at $181.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $281.90 billion, a PE ratio of 37.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $175.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $152.79. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $100.80 and a 12-month high of $186.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 8.43% and a negative return on equity of 122.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 111.34%.

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.