Griffin Asset Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. $PM

Griffin Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 67.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,456 shares during the period. Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $1,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the second quarter worth $25,000. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 566.7% during the 2nd quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Estabrook Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Briaud Financial Planning Inc raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 266.7% in the second quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the topic of several research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Barclays lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $180.00 price objective on Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.00.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $161.06 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $163.91. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.12 and a 12-month high of $186.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $250.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.18, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.42.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.14% and a net margin of 9.33%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 106.52%.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM) is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States.

PMI’s product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.