Short Interest in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Declines By 22.5%

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,280,000 shares, a decrease of 22.5% from the February 28th total of 17,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,950,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on PM. UBS Group raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total value of $5,954,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,495,308.62. This represents a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total value of $4,465,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 139,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,705,779.25. The trade was a 17.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.4 %

PM traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $158.08. 4,428,983 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,474,563. The stock has a market cap of $245.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.05, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $159.51. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $147.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.66.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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 anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

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.