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

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 153,116 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,361% compared to the average daily volume of 10,478 call options.

Philip Morris International Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of PM opened at $122.91 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $191.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $128.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.10. Philip Morris International has a 52-week low of $87.82 and a 52-week high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.09. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 10.35% and a negative return on equity of 117.94%. The business had revenue of $9.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Philip Morris International will post 6.51 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.39%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 85.71%.

Insider Transactions at Philip Morris International

In other news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 101,918 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.85, for a total value of $13,234,052.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 959,761 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $124,624,965.85. The trade was a 9.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Werner Barth sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.98, for a total transaction of $974,850.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 95,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,402,431.64. This trade represents a 7.29 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 240 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC lifted its stake in Philip Morris International by 64.8% during the second quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Philip Morris International in the third quarter worth approximately $54,000. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PM has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $126.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.50.

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.