Walker Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 9,083 Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Walker Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM – Get Rating) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 9,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $853,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bivin & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. American National Bank boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 89.1% in the first quarter. American National Bank now owns 312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Bromfield Sneider Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.78% of the company’s stock.

PM stock traded up $1.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $100.85. 15,835 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,471,299. The company has a market capitalization of $156.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.66. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52-week low of $85.64 and a 52-week high of $112.48. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $102.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.87.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 21st. The company reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.43 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 110.49% and a net margin of 10.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 5.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, July 1st will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 30th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.96%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 86.51%.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Philip Morris International from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Monday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $116.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 22nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, February 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $104.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned 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 $111.75.

Philip Morris International Profile (Get Rating)

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 that are sold in markets outside the United States.

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