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

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $144.56.

A number of analysts have commented on PM shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE PM opened at $151.23 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $235.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.53, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $159.51. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $137.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.73.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total value of $4,465,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 139,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,705,779.25. The trade was a 17.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PM. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth $957,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 12.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth about $337,000. Campbell Deegan Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $979,000. Finally, Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $243,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.