Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $158.23 and last traded at $157.34, with a volume of 9348053 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $156.28.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $244.64 billion, a PE ratio of 34.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $127.10.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders 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 3.43%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 128,143 shares of company stock valued at $19,092,846 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PM. Armis Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $263,000. Garde Capital Inc. increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 79.4% in the fourth quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 5,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $691,000 after purchasing an additional 2,540 shares in the last quarter. Wilkins Miller Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $238,000. Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $453,000. Finally, Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 20,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,484,000 after buying an additional 1,189 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently 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.