Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) Hits Fresh High: Is There Still Room to Run?

Shares of Philip Morris (PM) have been strong performers lately, with the stock up 7% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $165 in the previous session. Philip Morris has gained 35.6% since the start of the year compared to the 6.6% move for the Zacks Consumer Staples sector and the 26.7% return for the Zacks Tobacco industry.What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has an impressive record of positive earnings surprises, as it hasn't missed our earnings consensus estimate in any of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on February 6, 2025, Philip Morris reported EPS of $1.55 versus consensus estimate of $1.51.For the current fiscal year, Philip Morris is expected to post earnings of $7.23 per share on $40.6 billion in revenues. This represents a 10.05% change in EPS on a 7.18% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $8.03 per share on $43.95 billion in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 11.03% and 8.26%, respectively.Valuation MetricsPhilip Morris may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company is due for a pullback from this level.On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as these give investors a variety of ways to comb through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). These styles are represented by grades running from A to F in the categories of Value, Growth, and Momentum, while there is a combined VGM Score as well. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.Philip Morris has a Value Score of C. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are A and B, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of A.In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 22.6X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 11X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 21X versus its peer group's average of 10.8X. Additionally, the stock has a PEG ratio of 2.77. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.Zacks RankWe also need to look at the Zacks Rank for the stock, as this supersedes any trend on the style score front. Fortunately, Philip Morris currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Philip Morris fits the bill. Thus, it seems as though Philip Morris shares could have potential in the weeks and months to come.Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockIt's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Philip Morris International Inc. (PM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks