Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Short Interest Down 22.5% in March

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in 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 volume of 5,950,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 0.9% of the company's stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $144.56.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Philip Morris International news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This represents a 12.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 3.9 %

Philip Morris International stock traded up $6.04 on Thursday, hitting $162.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 10,566,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,076,685. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $147.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $132.82. The firm has a market cap of $252.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International has a one year low of $87.82 and a one year high of $163.08.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS 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%. Analysts anticipate 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 issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. 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.