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

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $184.5556.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price target on Philip Morris International and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 24,968.0% during the second quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 11,275,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,041,223,000 after purchasing an additional 11,230,626 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Philip Morris International by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 43,546,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,063,263,000 after buying an additional 2,911,835 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.2% during the 3rd 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 period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 36.3% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,301,112 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,491,898,000 after acquiring an additional 2,475,204 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,857,055 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,018,555,000 after acquiring an additional 2,235,380 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of PM opened at $179.42 on Friday. Philip Morris International has a fifty-two week low of $128.25 and a fifty-two week high of $186.69. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $161.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $161.42. The stock has a market cap of $279.29 billion, a PE ratio of 32.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.40.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.52%.

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM) is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States.

PMI’s product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.