Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Stock Price

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Free Report) had its price objective upped by Citigroup from $163.00 to $180.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $160.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group raised 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. Argus upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $150.78.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE PM traded down $2.28 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $160.93. 2,050,654 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,569,955. Philip Morris International has a 12-month low of $92.94 and a 12-month high of $165.00. The company has a market cap of $250.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.68, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The business's fifty day moving average price is $153.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 7.89%. Equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was 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 directly owns 547,426 shares of the company's stock, valued at $81,495,308.62. This represents a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 139,432,392 shares of the company's stock worth $16,780,688,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167,810 shares during the last quarter. 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 grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 48,746,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,866,678,000 after purchasing an additional 6,092,558 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,286,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,241,837,000 after buying an additional 3,185,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.1% in the fourth 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Philip Morris International

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.