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

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $189.5556.

PM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. KGI Securities initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Monday, August 4th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, September 4th.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PM. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 143,468,448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,270,582,000 after buying an additional 611,393 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.2% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 128,776,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,887,743,000 after acquiring an additional 2,714,674 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 1.0% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 89,150,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,461,220,000 after acquiring an additional 882,885 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Philip Morris International by 1.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,831,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,243,429,000 after acquiring an additional 871,165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 43,546,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,063,263,000 after purchasing an additional 2,911,835 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM stock opened at $152.78 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $237.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.43. Philip Morris International has a 52-week low of $116.12 and a 52-week high of $186.69. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.74.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is an increase from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.52%.

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.