Philip Morris International Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 268,100 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 2,084% compared to the typical volume of 12,274 call options.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In related news, insider Werner Barth sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.67, for a total value of $1,486,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 106,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,795,295.48. The trade was a 8.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Philip Morris International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Philip Morris International in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 78.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on PM. Barclays boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com cut Philip Morris International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price 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. Argus upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $144.56.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:PM traded up $0.04 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $153.88. 2,183,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,155,395. The business’s 50 day moving average is $140.44 and its 200-day moving average is $130.64. The company has a market capitalization of $239.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.53. Philip Morris International has a 1-year low of $87.82 and a 1-year high of $159.51.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (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%. As a group, 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 Thursday, April 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

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.