Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,160,000 shares, a decrease of 28.1% from the January 15th total of 9,960,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 5,320,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Philip Morris International stock traded up $1.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $150.60. 4,777,665 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,552,923. The stock has a market cap of $234.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.39, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $127.47 and its 200-day moving average is $125.21. Philip Morris International has a 52 week low of $87.82 and a 52 week high of $151.22.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 120.08% and a net margin of 9.24%. On average, analysts forecast that Philip Morris International will post 7.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 26th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Philip Morris International

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 20,799 shares in the company, valued at $3,117,354.12. This represents a 19.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 10,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target 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. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Philip Morris International presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $139.56.

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.