Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Sets New 12-Month High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Philip Morris International shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $191.86 and closing near $191.26, up 1.9% on the day.
• Recent analyst coverage remains largely positive, with Citigroup lifting its price target to $210 and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus rating and average target price of $192.56.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.96 and revenue of $10.15 billion, while also paying a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share for a 3.1% annualized yield.

Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $191.86 and last traded at $191.2580, with a volume of 695374 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $187.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PM has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Philip Morris International from $181.50 to $168.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Philip Morris International from $205.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $192.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.9%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $166.29 and a 200 day moving average of $165.20. The company has a market cap of $298.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.37.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $10.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.95 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 142.02% and a net margin of 11.61%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.69 earnings per share. Philip Morris International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.510 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.070 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 19th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 82.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 33,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.61, for a total value of $6,138,418.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 164,463 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,868,125.43. This represents a 17.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 80,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.18, for a total value of $14,574,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,344 shares in the company, valued at approximately $115,200,429.92. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 549,481 shares of the company's stock valued at $84,922,000 after purchasing an additional 51,399 shares during the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 302,173 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,251,000 after purchasing an additional 27,979 shares during the last quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 132,295 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,458,000 after purchasing an additional 31,490 shares during the last quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dynasty Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,505,000 after purchasing an additional 9,622 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 43,926 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,125,000 after purchasing an additional 8,392 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International Inc NYSE: PM is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States.

PMI's product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.

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