Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Thursday morning.

PM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $182.00 price target (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $163.00.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

NYSE PM opened at $170.19 on Thursday. Philip Morris International has a 52-week low of $94.42 and a 52-week high of $171.63. The stock has a market cap of $264.90 billion, a PE ratio of 37.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $155.51 and a 200-day moving average of $137.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at $81,495,308.62. This represents a 6.81 % decrease in their position. 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 90 days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. West Bancorporation Inc. bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its position in Philip Morris International by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 15,465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,455,000 after acquiring an additional 2,664 shares during the period. Alta Advisers Ltd raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.0% during the first quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 8,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,284,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the first quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 92,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,665,000 after purchasing an additional 1,905 shares during the period. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.7% in the first quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,024,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. 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.