Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors bought 265,612 call options on the company. This is an increase of 2,300% compared to the average volume of 11,066 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on PM shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $190.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $177.00 to $166.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.00.

Philip Morris International Price Performance

Shares of PM opened at $162.78 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $253.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.42. Philip Morris International has a 1 year low of $116.12 and a 1 year high of $186.69. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $153.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.05.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Philip Morris International will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is 106.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 143,468,448 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,270,582,000 after acquiring an additional 611,393 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in Philip Morris International by 2.2% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 128,776,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,887,743,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714,674 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 1.0% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 89,150,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,461,220,000 after purchasing an additional 882,885 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 1.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 55,831,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,243,429,000 after purchasing an additional 871,165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 43,546,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,063,263,000 after buying an additional 2,911,835 shares in the last quarter. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE: PM) is a global tobacco company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, other nicotine-containing products and a growing portfolio of smoke-free alternatives for adult smokers. The firm traces its corporate roots to the 19th century Philip Morris enterprise and was established as an independent, publicly traded company following a 2008 separation from what is now Altria. Since the spin-off, the company has focused on serving international markets outside the United States.

PMI’s product mix includes traditional combustible cigarettes as well as smoke-free offerings such as heated tobacco systems and other reduced-risk products.