Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Raised to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Sunday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $170.00 to $181.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $220.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $186.73.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 6.6%

Shares of PM traded down $11.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $168.58. 13,891,818 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,015,562. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.09. Philip Morris International has a 52-week low of $108.00 and a 52-week high of $186.69. The company has a market cap of $262.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.76, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.86 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $10.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.33 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 8.43% and a negative return on equity of 122.40%. Philip Morris International's revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.59 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 27th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is presently 111.34%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PM. PFS Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 24.8% during the second quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 292 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% during the first quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,087 shares of the company's stock worth $2,236,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.9% during the first quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 6,932 shares of the company's stock worth $1,100,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.1% during the second quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 5,666 shares of the company's stock worth $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NFP Retirement Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.5% during the first quarter. NFP Retirement Inc. now owns 2,589 shares of the company's stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.