Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.95.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on PM shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $103.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 85,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,877,305.15. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Philip Morris International news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 158,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,906,095.47. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 85,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,877,305.15. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Violich Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Violich Capital Management Inc. now owns 43,729 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,309,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. ACT Advisors LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter valued at $224,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 47.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 226,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,506,000 after buying an additional 72,757 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 197.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 7,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 5,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Buckley Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 335 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $120.21 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $186.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International has a 52-week low of $87.23 and a 52-week high of $128.22. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.62.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released 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. The company had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 113.32% and a net margin of 9.41%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.60 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 6.45 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.49%. This is a boost from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 105.47%.

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.