Philip Morris International Inc. Insider Lars Dahlgren Executes Stock Sale

On March 6th, Lars Dahlgren, an insider at Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM), sold 3,679 shares of the company's stock. The average sale price was $152.96, leading to a total transaction value of $562,739.84. After completing this sale, Dahlgren now holds 26,828 shares, which are valued at approximately $4,103,610.88. This sale marks a 12.06% reduction in his total ownership of the stock. The details of this transaction were made public in a disclosure filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which can be accessed online.

Current Stock Performance of Philip Morris International

During trading on the following day, the stock saw a decline of $2.50, bringing the price down to $151.05. A total of 4,585,455 shares exchanged hands, with the average trading volume being 5,166,635. Over the past year, Philip Morris International's stock has reached a low of $87.82 and a high of $159.51. The company's market capitalization stands at $234.86 billion, and it has a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.48, along with a PEG ratio of 2.65. The stock's fifty-day simple moving average is $135.47, while the two-hundred-day simple moving average is $128.78.

Recent Financial Highlights

Philip Morris International announced its earnings results on February 6th, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $1.55 for the quarter, which exceeded analysts' expectations of $1.49 by $0.06. The company has faced challenges, as indicated by a negative return on equity of 120.08%, along with a net margin of 7.89%. Analysts forecast that the company will post an average EPS of 7.14 for the current year.

Dividend Information

The company has also declared a quarterly dividend to be paid on April 10th. Shareholders who are on record as of March 20th will receive a dividend of $1.35. This equates to an annual dividend of $5.40, resulting in a dividend yield of 3.58%. Presently, Philip Morris International's payout ratio is 119.73%.

Institutional Investor Activity

Various institutional investors have made significant adjustments to their positions in Philip Morris International recently. For instance, Range Financial Group LLC increased its stake by 504.9% during the fourth quarter, now owning 22,915 shares valued at $2,758,000 after purchasing an additional 19,127 shares. Similarly, Accredited Investors Inc. raised its holdings by 3,553.3% in the third quarter, attaining 206,959 shares worth $25,125,000 after acquiring 201,294 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC and CWA Asset Management Group LLC have also increased their positions significantly. Currently, institutional and hedge fund investors control 78.63% of the company's stocks.

Analysts' Perspectives

Research analysts have varied opinions on Philip Morris International shares. Stifel Nicolaus has raised their price target from $145.00 to $160.00 with a "buy" rating as of February 7th. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase & Co. also increased their price target to $160.00, maintaining an "overweight" rating. Despite varied ratings, one research analyst has assigned a sell rating, one a hold, and eight analysts recommended buy ratings, leading to an average consensus of a "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $144.56.

Company Overview

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International Inc. operates as a tobacco company, focusing on delivering a smoke-free future. The company is evolving its product portfolio to include options outside the tobacco and nicotine sector. Its primary products consist of cigarettes and smoke-free alternatives such as heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products, particularly under the IQOS and ZYN brands, along with consumer accessories like lighters.

sale, stocks, dividends, performance, investors