Wall Street Zen Upgrades Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) to Buy

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on PM. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $180.00 target price on Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Philip Morris International from $177.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $189.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $156.05 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $157.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.63. Philip Morris International has a 1 year low of $116.12 and a 1 year high of $186.69. The firm has a market cap of $242.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.43.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.14% and a net margin of 9.33%.The company had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter. On average, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PM. Advisory Services Network LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 11.3% during the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 90,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,729,000 after purchasing an additional 9,224 shares during the period. Del Sette Capital Management LLC grew its position in Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Del Sette Capital Management LLC now owns 18,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,952,000 after buying an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter. San Luis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,071 shares of the company’s stock valued at $985,000 after buying an additional 947 shares during the period. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 5,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $894,000 after buying an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Financial Group raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 16.3% during the 3rd quarter. Keystone Financial Group now owns 19,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,123,000 after buying an additional 2,710 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

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.