Analysts Set Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) PT at $107.80

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $107.80.

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total value of $2,260,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 158,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,906,095.47. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GQG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 5,006.0% in the 1st quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 5,958,391 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,908,000 after buying an additional 5,841,696 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 58,416,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,495,794,000 after purchasing an additional 4,869,272 shares in the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $282,785,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 25.5% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 10,439,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,123,311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 5,045.1% in the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,122,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,484,000 after purchasing an additional 2,081,472 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of PM opened at $117.82 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $104.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.29. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $87.23 and a 12 month high of $119.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $183.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.57 by $0.02. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.60 earnings per share. Philip Morris International’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 6.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 21st were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 21st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.41%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 101.56%.

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.