Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Now Covered by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Investment analysts at Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price points to a potential upside of 14.86% from the company’s current price.

PM has been the subject of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays dropped their price objective 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, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $121.88 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $189.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s fifty day moving average is $125.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.05. Philip Morris International has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 457.5% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% in the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

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.