Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $139.56.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on PM. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective 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. Barclays reduced their target price on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.0 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $150.60 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $234.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $151.22. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $127.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.14.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 9.24%. Equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 7.11 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.59%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% in 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 period. Dunhill Financial LLC grew 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.