Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) Short Interest Down 19.1% in January

Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,210,000 shares, a decrease of 19.1% from the December 31st total of 11,390,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,990,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PM traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $129.71. The stock had a trading volume of 244,246 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,732,917. The firm has a market cap of $201.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $125.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $122.63. Philip Morris International has a twelve month low of $87.82 and a twelve month high of $134.15.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.16%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. Philip Morris International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 85.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PM shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Philip Morris International from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up previously from $138.00) on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Philip Morris International from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Philip Morris International from $118.50 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Philip Morris International presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.35.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Philip Morris International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PM. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 457.5% in the third quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2,709.1% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 55.5% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

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.