Philip Morris International Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders purchased 268,100 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 2,084% compared to the typical volume of 12,274 call options.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock opened at $154.27 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $239.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $141.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $130.80. Philip Morris International has a 1 year low of $87.82 and a 1 year high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on PM shares. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Philip Morris International news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total transaction of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at $4,103,610.88. The trade was a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PM. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth $430,000. 111 Capital purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter worth about $1,838,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 351,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,297,000 after acquiring an additional 52,433 shares during the last quarter. Members Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at about $163,000. Finally, Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $957,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.