JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Stock Price

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) had its price objective upped by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $145.00 to $160.00 in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on PM. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.22.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

PM opened at $151.68 on Tuesday. Philip Morris International has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $152.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $129.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $126.08. The company has a market cap of $235.84 billion, a PE ratio of 33.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.55.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.56%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,117,354.12. The trade was a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PM. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,341,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $402,102,000 after purchasing an additional 187,041 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 21.0% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 12,856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,547,000 after buying an additional 2,234 shares during the period. Griffith & Werner Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $297,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $1,941,000. Finally, Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. 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.