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

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $127.85.

Several research firms have recently commented on PM. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

PM stock opened at $124.19 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $124.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $112.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.09 billion, a PE ratio of 19.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.67 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.35%. This is an increase from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 85.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total value of $974,850.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 95,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 322,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,208,000 after purchasing an additional 52,692 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 9,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 29,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,555,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 3,048 shares of the company’s stock valued at $370,000 after purchasing an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 227.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 9,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,105,000 after acquiring an additional 6,317 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.