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

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $176.80.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group raised Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, April 25th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 price objective (up previously from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 405.0% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Pacifica Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 115.0% during the first quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM opened at $182.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $284.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.64, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $173.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.99. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $98.93 and a 12 month high of $186.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.40% and a net margin of 8.43%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Friday, June 27th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

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.