Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock 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 Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on 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 upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.5 %

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $134.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $128.60. The stock has a market cap of $238.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.97, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total transaction of $749,400.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,584,994.24. The trade was a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846 over the last quarter. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 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.