Philip Morris International Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Traders acquired 19,137 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 14% compared to the typical volume of 16,737 call options.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of Philip Morris International stock opened at $163.95 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $255.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a 50-day moving average of $154.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.65. Philip Morris International has a 1 year low of $93.84 and a 1 year high of $165.00.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 119.73%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares in the company, valued at $83,674,681.94. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 131,822 shares of company stock valued at $19,655,585. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $206,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in Philip Morris International by 38.5% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 561 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 3.5% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 46,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,589,000 after acquiring an additional 1,544 shares during the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 225.4% in the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 23,379 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,841,000 after acquiring an additional 16,194 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 567.0% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 50,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,152,000 after purchasing an additional 43,075 shares during the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $163.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Argus raised Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $150.78.

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.