Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,590,000 shares, a growth of 33.9% from the January 31st total of 7,160,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,370,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 0.6% of the company's stock are short sold.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Philip Morris International stock traded down $0.73 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $153.22. 4,237,779 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,165,023. The firm has a market cap of $238.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.97, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day moving average of $134.22 and a 200 day moving average of $128.43. Philip Morris International has a 12-month low of $87.82 and a 12-month high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International's dividend payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other news, CFO Emmanuel Babeau sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.85, for a total transaction of $4,465,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 139,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,705,779.25. This represents a 17.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jacek Olczak sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.87, for a total transaction of $5,954,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 547,426 shares in the company, valued at $81,495,308.62. This trade represents a 6.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 128,143 shares of company stock worth $19,092,846. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 8,474 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Optas LLC acquired a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter valued at $268,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,621 shares of the company's stock valued at $804,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the period. Lansing Street Advisors raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lansing Street Advisors now owns 4,180 shares of the company's stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 133.6% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 69,206 shares of the company's stock worth $8,402,000 after acquiring an additional 39,574 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.