Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Cut to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Sunday morning.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on PM. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, KGI Securities started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, August 4th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $194.00.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $156.93 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $244.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.43, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.43. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $116.12 and a 12 month high of $186.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $157.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $168.18.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.14% and a net margin of 9.33%.The company had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 3rd. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.52%.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PM. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.1% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,027,000 after purchasing an additional 2,023 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $238,000. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 18,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,943,000 after buying an additional 1,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Security Advisor Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Financial Security Advisor Inc. now owns 20,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,324,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

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.