Short Interest in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Decreases By 28.1%

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

Insider Activity

In other Philip Morris International news, VP Reginaldo Dobrowolski sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.88, for a total value of $749,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 71.4% during the 3rd quarter. White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,457,000 after buying an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 504.9% in the fourth quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 22,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,758,000 after acquiring an additional 19,127 shares during the last quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 3,553.3% in the third quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 206,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,125,000 after buying an additional 201,294 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 100,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,134,000 after purchasing an additional 16,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 37.5% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 24,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,912,000 after purchasing an additional 6,605 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of PM stock traded up $1.42 on Friday, reaching $150.60. 4,777,665 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,552,923. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $127.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $125.21. The company has a market capitalization of $234.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.39, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International has a twelve month low of $87.82 and a twelve month high of $151.22.

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

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 119.73%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on PM. StockNews.com downgraded Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays decreased their price target on Philip Morris International from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective 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 assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $139.56.

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.