Moody Aldrich Partners LLC Raises Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,225 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 513 shares during the quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $392,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PM. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.2% in the third quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.7% during the second quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 12,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.2% during the second quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 2,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.3% in the third quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $819,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Luts & Greenleigh Group Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Luts & Greenleigh Group Inc. now owns 8,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $132.79 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a one year low of $87.23 and a one year high of $132.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $121.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. Philip Morris International’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.67 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 26th. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 105.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PM. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Citigroup increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.85.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 85,629 shares in the company, valued at $9,877,305.15. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.