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

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) was the recipient of a large 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. Approximately 0.9% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 5,950,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In related news, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 547,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $81,495,308.62. This trade represents a 6.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were 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 directly owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

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

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:PM traded down $0.65 on Tuesday, reaching $158.08. 4,428,983 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,474,563. The firm has a market capitalization of $245.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.05, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $147.25 and its 200-day moving average is $132.66.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. 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 report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.56.

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.