Hutner Capital Management Inc. Raises Position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Hutner Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 76,790 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,012 shares during the period. Philip Morris International comprises 4.5% of Hutner Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Hutner Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $9,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 target price (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.00.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $170.09 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $264.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.71, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $156.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.96. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.88 and a 1 year high of $172.03.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 547,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,495,308.62. The trade was a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Company 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.