Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $158.85 and last traded at $158.78, with a volume of 5457599 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $155.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley started 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 target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays upped 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 report on Wednesday, February 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 2.3 %

The stock has a market cap of $246.88 billion, a PE ratio of 35.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s 50 day moving average is $133.60 and its 200-day moving average is $128.18.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total transaction of $6,058,245.58. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 128,143 shares of company stock valued at $19,092,846. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Investment Services Inc. increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. American Investment Services Inc. now owns 23,198 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,792,000 after purchasing an additional 793 shares during the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $269,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the fourth quarter worth about $111,900,000. Finally, Omnia Family Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is 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.