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

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $109.80.

A number of analysts have weighed in on PM shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $110.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 158,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,906,095.47. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Philip Morris International news, insider Wilde Frederic De sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.01, for a total transaction of $2,260,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 158,447 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,906,095.47. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,877,305.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PM. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 136,556,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,511,292,000 after purchasing an additional 481,636 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 111,247,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,192,510,000 after acquiring an additional 1,684,992 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 3.1% in the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 60,217,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,517,085,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800,864 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Philip Morris International by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,396,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,226,746,000 after purchasing an additional 125,919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 16.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 13,234,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,341,050,000 after purchasing an additional 1,856,551 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM stock opened at $120.15 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $186.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $109.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.92. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $87.23 and a 12 month high of $120.27.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by $0.02. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 6.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 21st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 21st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.33%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 101.56%.

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.