Morgan Stanley Begins Coverage on Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)

Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) in a research report released on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an overweight rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on PM. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.35.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE PM opened at $121.88 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $189.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. Philip Morris International has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $134.15. The company has a 50 day moving average of $125.50 and a 200-day moving average of $121.19.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Philip Morris International will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.43%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 85.71%.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 95,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PM. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% in the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.