Sciencast Management LP Takes $1.64 Million Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Sciencast Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 17,874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,638,000. Philip Morris International accounts for about 1.0% of Sciencast Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kessler Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 250.0% during the 1st quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH now owns 322 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of PM traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $105.95. 3,519,186 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,379,059. The company’s 50 day moving average is $101.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.54. The company has a market capitalization of $164.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.69, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.58. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $87.23 and a 52 week high of $106.63.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 21st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 21st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.91%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.56%.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.42, for a total value of $1,928,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 178,447 shares in the company, valued at $17,205,859.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.