Traders Buy High Volume of Philip Morris International Call Options (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors bought 19,137 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 14% compared to the average daily volume of 16,737 call options.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.2 %

PM stock traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $170.33. 1,794,957 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,458,794. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $94.42 and a 12 month high of $171.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $265.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $137.22.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.10 billion. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.34%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total value of $4,465,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 139,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,705,779.25. This trade represents a 17.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total transaction of $1,486,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at $15,795,295.48. This trade represents a 8.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Perigon Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,087 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,236,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 0.9% in the first quarter. TBH Global Asset Management LLC now owns 6,932 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,100,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the first quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,005 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.3% during the first quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. now owns 2,032 shares of the company's stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the company's stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the company from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $168.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $182.00 price objective (up from $156.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $163.00.

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.