Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Stifel Nicolaus Analyst Says

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) had its target price boosted by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $160.00 to $168.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target points to a potential upside of 9.20% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Barclays upped their price target on 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 Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.44.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM opened at $153.85 on Thursday. Philip Morris International has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $163.08. The business has a fifty day moving average of $152.03 and a 200 day moving average of $134.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.11, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total transaction of $4,465,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 139,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,705,779.25. This represents a 17.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders have sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 139,432,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,780,688,000 after buying an additional 1,167,810 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its position in Philip Morris International by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 122,584,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,752,926,000 after acquiring an additional 4,216,586 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,866,678,000 after acquiring an additional 6,092,558 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,241,837,000 after acquiring an additional 3,185,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 17,276,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,079,262,000 after purchasing an additional 516,617 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.