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

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $131.50.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 95,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. The trade was a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total transaction of $13,234,052.30. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. This trade represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. FMR LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 40.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,168,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,649,000 after acquiring an additional 6,721,094 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 9,241,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,121,932,000 after purchasing an additional 3,363,454 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 161.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,943,460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,936,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200,636 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its position in Philip Morris International by 14,611.4% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,173,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,467,000 after purchasing an additional 1,165,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 10,033.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 1,039,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029,386 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE PM opened at $120.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $127.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.75. Philip Morris International has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $134.15.

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

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.49%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

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.