Insiders probably made the right decision selling US$17m worth of shares earlier this year as Philip Morris International Inc.'s (NYSE:PM)) stock dips by 9.6%.

Insiders at Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) sold US$17m worth of stock at an average price of US$111 a share over the past year, making the most of their investment. The company's market valuation decreased by US$14b after the stock price dropped 9.6% over the past week, but insiders were spared from painful losses.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

View our latest analysis for Philip Morris International

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Philip Morris International

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by the Executive Chairman of the Board, Andre Calantzopoulos, for US$8.3m worth of shares, at about US$111 per share. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$83.01). So it is hard to draw any strong conclusion from it.

Insiders in Philip Morris International didn't buy any shares in the last year. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership Of Philip Morris International

For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. It's great to see that Philip Morris International insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about US$213m. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Philip Morris International Insiders?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Philip Morris International shares in the last quarter. It's heartening that insiders own plenty of stock, but we'd like to see more insider buying, since the last year of Philip Morris International insider transactions don't fill us with confidence. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. At Simply Wall St, we found 1 warning sign for Philip Morris International that deserve your attention before buying any shares.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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