Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) – What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $212.40.

PM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Argus increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 26th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $205.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Barclays raised their target price on Philip Morris International from $205.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Financial Freedom LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 60.2% during the first quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 189 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 109.2% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 205 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of PM stock opened at $197.76 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $308.25 billion, a PE ratio of 28.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.34. Philip Morris International has a 12-month low of $146.35 and a 12-month high of $214.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $195.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $182.81.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The company reported $2.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 183.96% and a net margin of 10.73%. The business had revenue of $11.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.32 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.24 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 8.32 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 2nd were given a dividend of $1.60 per share. This is a positive change from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 2nd. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 93.43%.

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International is a global tobacco and nicotine company that develops, manufactures and sells cigarettes and smoke-free products. Its cigarette brands include Marlboro in markets outside the United States, along with other regional and international brands.

The company’s smoke-free portfolio includes IQOS heated tobacco products, ZYN nicotine pouches and VEEV e-vapor products. Philip Morris International sells its products in markets around the world, with availability varying by country and subject to local regulations.

Philip Morris International became an independent publicly traded company in 2008 after separating from Altria Group.