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

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $166.33.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on PM shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $175.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday, April 25th.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value of $5,954,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at $81,495,308.62. This trade represents a 6.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. This represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 115.0% during the first quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE PM opened at $172.02 on Friday. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $98.19 and a 12 month high of $176.49. The company has a market cap of $267.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $158.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.79.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

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.