Short Interest in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Decreases By 19.1%

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) saw a significant drop in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,210,000 shares, a drop of 19.1% from the December 15th total of 11,390,000 shares. Currently, 0.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 4,990,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM traded up $1.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $119.78. 7,836,456 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,843,315. The stock's 50-day moving average is $125.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.05. Philip Morris International has a 12 month low of $87.82 and a 12 month high of $134.15. The stock has a market cap of $186.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 117.94% and a net margin of 10.35%. The company had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. Philip Morris International's quarterly revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 6.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Insider Activity at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 95,418 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This represents a 7.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 959,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $124,624,965.85. This represents a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on PM shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus restated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $131.35.

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.