Walker Asset Management LLC Trims Stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Walker Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,472 shares of the company’s stock after selling 315 shares during the period. Walker Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $899,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth $58,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of PM stock opened at $121.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $189.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.05. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 95,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International 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.