Stifel Nicolaus Raises Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Price Target to $160.00

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) had its price target upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $145.00 to $160.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.35.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of PM opened at $144.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $224.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $146.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $123.61.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Philip Morris International will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.74%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 119.73%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 141.7% in the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 87,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,527,000 after buying an additional 51,277 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,035,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,564,000 after acquiring an additional 30,997 shares during the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 665,329 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,072,000 after purchasing an additional 79,449 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,377,121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,737,000 after purchasing an additional 37,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Planning Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 11,778 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,418,000 after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by 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.