May Barnhard Investments LLC Takes Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

May Barnhard Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $306,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of PM. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 11,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,433,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth about $749,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,652,000. Simmons Bank raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 12,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,493,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Angeles Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth about $224,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM stock opened at $150.32 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $138.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $129.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.72 billion, a PE ratio of 33.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. This represents a 8.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

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.