Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Free Report) by 5.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,865 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,933 shares during the period. Philip Morris International comprises about 0.8% of Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC's holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $5,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,027,000 after purchasing an additional 2,023 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,097 shares of the company's stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 60.4% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,863 shares of the company's stock worth $465,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 613,683 shares of the company's stock worth $74,783,000 after acquiring an additional 7,893 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis R M Inc. grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Davis R M Inc. now owns 6,575 shares of the company's stock worth $791,000 after acquiring an additional 1,068 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM traded down $1.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $179.73. The stock had a trading volume of 3,430,602 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,634,992. The firm has a market capitalization of $279.75 billion, a PE ratio of 37.06, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.51. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12 month low of $104.84 and a 12 month high of $186.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $178.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.52.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.40% and a net margin of 8.43%. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is presently 111.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PM. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $182.00 target price (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $185.73.

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.