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

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $105.40.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PM. UBS Group lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $86.50 in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. Argus restated a “hold” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Societe Generale upgraded Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $87.50 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Werner Barth sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.46, for a total value of $457,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 102,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,412,880.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 8,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.63, for a total transaction of $772,447.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 94,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,860,113.27. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.46, for a total value of $457,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 102,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,412,880.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,250 shares of company stock worth $1,411,128. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Northwest Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Legacy Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $93.77 on Monday. Philip Morris International has a 52 week low of $87.23 and a 52 week high of $100.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $145.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $91.20 and a 200-day moving average of $92.05.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.08). Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 116.29% and a net margin of 8.53%. The business had revenue of $9.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.39 EPS. Philip Morris International’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International will post 6.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.55%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.59%.

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.