Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Price Target Raised to $160.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) had its target price hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $145.00 to $160.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on PM. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.22.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.1 %

Philip Morris International stock opened at $148.85 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $127.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.52. Philip Morris International has a twelve month low of $87.82 and a twelve month high of $151.22. The company has a market cap of $231.43 billion, a PE ratio of 33.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.63%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.73%.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 328.8% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 21,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,599,000 after purchasing an additional 16,606 shares in the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $174,000. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 23.8% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 22,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after acquiring an additional 4,239 shares during the period. Finally, Investmark Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Investmark Advisory Group LLC now owns 48,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,860,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. 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.