Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

PM has been the topic of several other research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $182.00 target price (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.00.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $170.19 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $264.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.74, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International has a 52-week low of $94.42 and a 52-week high of $171.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $155.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at $83,674,681.94. This represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Perigon Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,087 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,236,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.9% during the first quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 6,932 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the first quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,005 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 3.3% in the first quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. now owns 2,032 shares of the company’s stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Philip Morris International by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.