Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $184.5556.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price target on Philip Morris International and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $220.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $220.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 17th.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:PM opened at $179.42 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $279.29 billion, a PE ratio of 32.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $161.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.42. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $128.25 and a 12 month high of $186.69.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is 106.52%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 1,677.8% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 96.5% during the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Richards Merrill & Peterson Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently 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.