ERn Financial LLC Lowers Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

ERn Financial LLC decreased its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,316 shares of the company’s stock after selling 215 shares during the quarter. ERn Financial LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $395,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 5,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $560,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. CGC Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. CGC Financial Services LLC now owns 1,453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.3% during the third quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 36,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,412,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Bluesphere Advisors LLC now owns 17,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,599,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 29,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,758,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of PM opened at $101.56 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $87.23 and a twelve month high of $104.90. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $99.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.88 billion, a PE ratio of 19.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.57.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 113.26% and a net margin of 8.58%. The company had revenue of $8.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.32 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 21st will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 21st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.12%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 101.56%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.42, for a total transaction of $1,928,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 178,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,205,859.74. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.22.

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.