Stifel Nicolaus Reiterates Buy Rating for Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $145.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $138.00. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 9.19% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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 target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.85.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM opened at $132.79 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $206.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $87.23 and a 12 month high of $132.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $121.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $109.28.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.41% and a negative return on equity of 113.32%. Philip Morris International’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 6.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 85,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,877,305.15. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Philip Morris International during the first quarter worth $5,634,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,151,000 after buying an additional 6,974 shares during the period. Duality Advisers LP grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 165.6% during the 1st quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 38,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,541,000 after buying an additional 24,093 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 11.5% during the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 90,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,465,000 after acquiring an additional 9,300 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 17.9% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 31,591 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,203,000 after acquiring an additional 4,793 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

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.