Hickory Asset Management Inc. Takes $515,000 Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Hickory Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $515,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of PM. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 40.9% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,168,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,649,000 after acquiring an additional 6,721,094 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,241,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,121,932,000 after purchasing an additional 3,363,454 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 161.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,943,460 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,936,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,636 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 14,611.4% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,173,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,467,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 13,666.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 999,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,367,000 after purchasing an additional 992,467 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $150.60 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $124.89. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $151.22. The company has a market capitalization of $234.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 9.24%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This trade represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on PM shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $139.56.

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.