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

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 28,218 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 156% compared to the average volume of 11,025 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Massimo Andolina sold 9,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.35, for a total value of $1,038,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 85,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,877,305.15. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International during the 1st quarter worth about $5,634,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,151,000 after purchasing an additional 6,974 shares during the period. Duality Advisers LP lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 165.6% in the 1st quarter. Duality Advisers LP now owns 38,644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,541,000 after purchasing an additional 24,093 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 90,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,465,000 after purchasing an additional 9,300 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 17.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 31,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,203,000 after purchasing an additional 4,793 shares during the period. 78.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of PM stock opened at $131.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.55. Philip Morris International has a twelve month low of $87.23 and a twelve month high of $131.97. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $121.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $109.28.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.82 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $9.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.68 billion. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 113.32% and a net margin of 9.41%. Philip Morris International’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 6.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 26th. This is an increase from Philip Morris International’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.11%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is presently 105.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $126.85.

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.