Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Stock Rating Upgraded by Argus

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Argus from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE:PM opened at $151.95 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $139.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. Equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. The trade was a 8.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total value of $4,465,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 139,105 shares in the company, valued at $20,705,779.25. This represents a 17.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PM. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $957,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 12,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,545,000 after buying an additional 1,379 shares during the period. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $337,000. Campbell Deegan Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $979,000. Finally, Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $243,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.