Short Interest in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Decreases By 22.5%

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,280,000 shares, a decline 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 days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

NYSE:PM traded up $2.70 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $157.86. 886,495 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,453,663. Philip Morris International has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $159.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $245.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.82, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $145.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $132.19.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (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 7.89%. On average, equities analysts predict that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is currently 119.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on PM. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.56.

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, insider Lars Dahlgren sold 3,679 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.96, for a total value of $562,739.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 26,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,103,610.88. This trade represents a 12.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Omnia Family Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Omnia Family Wealth LLC now owns 3,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in 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 period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in Philip Morris International by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balboa Wealth Partners grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.