Live Oak Private Wealth LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Live Oak Private Wealth LLC lessened its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,076 shares of the company’s stock after selling 233 shares during the quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $3,499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 112,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,482,000 after acquiring an additional 1,457 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 279,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,647,000 after buying an additional 10,349 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 3,113,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,769,000 after acquiring an additional 63,244 shares during the period. Tandem Financial LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,171,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,637,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of PM stock opened at $145.41 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $87.82 and a fifty-two week high of $146.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.08, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $125.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays reduced their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.35.

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.