Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has brought the technology behind the Nicotine Aerosol.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Buys Rights To Nicotine Spray

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has bought the global rights to technology that creates nicotine in the form of an aerosol, as the company seeks smokeless and potentially less harmful alternatives to traditional cigarettes.

A number of companies have expanded their smokeless tobacco offerings in recent years amid increasing bans on indoor smoking and continued concerns over the harmful effects of cigarettes.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) is in a partnership with Swedish Match AB, which makes moist snuff products called snus, for international marketing of smokeless tobacco.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) company shares are currently standing at 70.3.

Price History
Last Price: 70.3
52 Week Low / High: 42.94 / 70.77
50 Day Moving Average: 66.81
6 Month Price Change %: 17.4%
12 Month Price Change %: 58.9%

Regulatory filings have revealed that Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)’s CEO earned $21.6 million in 2010.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) CEO Pay Down

Cigarette-maker Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) paid its CEO, Louis Camilleri, $21.6 million in 2010, a lower figure than the $29 million he earned in 2009.

Camilleri got a salary of $1.7 million, a bonus of $7.8 million and stock awards worth $10.6 million.

According to a proxy statement filed with the SEC, the drop of 25% was mostly due to a change in pension value and stock awards. Last year Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) saw its net income rise 14.5 percent to $7.26 billion and its net revenue excluding excise taxes grew 8.7 percent to $27.2 billion.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) shares were at 64.93 at the end of the last day’s trading. There’s been a 10.9% change in the stock price over the past 3 months.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Analyst Advice
Consensus Opinion: Moderate Buy
Mean recommendation: 1.55
(1=Strong Buy, 5=Strong Sell)
3 Months Ago: 1.41
Zack’s Rank: 2 out of 9 in the industry

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) expects no negative impact in 2011 profit from the earthquake and tsuanmi in Japan.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Expect Smooth Sailing

Tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) does not expect the recent disasters in Japan to have a negative impact on its overall profitability in Japan for 2011.

Four of the company’s 28 third-party distribution centers in Japan are currently not operational due to unspecified structural damage.

But the company expects two of these centers to resume operations and alternative distribution arrangements to be in place for the remaining two centers from the week commencing on March 28.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) also added that the four affected centers accounted for about 12 percent of the company’s total 2010 cigarette sales in Japan.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) stocks are currently standing at 65.17.

Price History
Last Price: 65.17
52 Week Low / High: 42.94 / 65.62
50 Day Moving Average: 60.55
6 Month Price Change %: 16.1%
12 Month Price Change %: 25.9%

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has plans to introduce Marlboro Ice Blast.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Introduces Ice Blast

One of the top tobacco companies in the world, Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM), has decided to launch a new product, Marlboro Ice Blast, which is the third menthol flavor in the company’s current product lineup.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) Korea said in a statement that, “As the third menthol product by Marlboro family after Marlboro Black Menthol and Marlboro White Menthol, the adult smoker can enjoy much stronger menthol and unique mint flavor when they crush the Ice Ball inside the filter during smoking.”

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) shares are currently standing at 62.29.

Price History
Last Price: 62.29
52 Week Low / High: 2 / 63
50 Day Moving Average: 58.32
6 Month Price Change %: 18.2%
12 Month Price Change %: 22.2%

More breaking news stories could affect stocks when trading continues later.

The following companies should see some movement: Best Buy (NYSE:BBY), PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM).

Here is a more detailed look at the news that will affect each company when trading continues.

Best Buy (NYSE:BBY)

Toshiba and Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) have unveiled the cutting-edge third generation blue label laptop.
The laptop represents the third collaboration between Toshiba and Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) as the part of the retailer’s Blue Label initiative.

The laptop features a 2nd Generation Intel Core i5 processor.

Jason Bonfig, the vice president of computers at Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) said that, “Our customers are looking for laptops that give them more wireless freedom with high-end features in a thin and light, stylish package. Through our close relationship with Toshiba, we’ve created a laptop that perfectly meets those needs at a very affordable price. The Satellite E305 is perfect for anyone who wants a state of the art laptop to master their fast-paced lifestyle.”

PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP)

PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) has launched its new $250 million plant.
Food and beverage giant PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) has officially launched its largest food and beverage plant in Vietnam with a groundbreaking of its production facility in northern Bac Ninh Province.

Located in Bac Ninh’s Viet Nam-Singapore Industrial Park, the facility comprises the first part of a US$250 million investment program, announced in August, 2010- that PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) is undertaking in Viet Nam over the next three years.

The plant in Bac Ninh will produce a range of PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) key products, including traditional carbonated soft drinks, purified water, sports drink and convenience foods.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has officially stopped pursuing a Colombia acquisition.
Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has announced that it would no longer pursue its acquisition target Productora Tabacalera de Colombia, Protabaco Ltda.

James Mortensen, the President,  Latin America & Canada Region of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) said that, “After an exhaustive review of our options, we regretfully have concluded that the transaction, in light of the conditions, would not satisfy the strategic and financial objectives that were originally envisaged and therefore we have decided not to pursue the acquisition of Protabaco. Colombia continues to be an important market for us and our commitment to the country and our employees remains steadfast.”

We could see more movement when trading continues for Best Buy (NYSE:BBY), PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) and Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM).

Here is another batch of stock briefings which may affect trading on world markets later today.

The following stocks should see some movement: Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM), Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN).

Here is a more detailed look at the news that will affect each company when trading continues.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)

Affiliates of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) have introduced changes in senior management and corporate names.
The new Managing Director Paul Riley has joined affiliates of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) in Serbia, succeeding Skip Bornhuetter who successfully led business in South East Europe, including Serbia and Montenegro since 2007.

The introduction of the new names will make more transparent the areas of responsibilities of each of the two legal entities and will better reflect the common corporate culture.

Paul Riley, the managing director of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) in Serbia said that, “Ever since the privatization in 2003, Philip Morris in Serbia has been a reliable partner to the Government. We fulfilled all our commitments and supported all regulatory and tax reforms sharing the best international experiences with local regulators. We regret the decision of the Government of Serbia to break their commitment by proposing sudden amendments to the cigarette excise tax policy without proper assessment of industry recommendations. If adopted by the Parliament, these amendments could jeopardize the significant progress in tobacco taxation achieved in the previous seven years.”

Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX)

Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) has decided to present at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) has announced that it will present at the 29th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on January 10.

The presentation will also be broadcast via the Internet and can be accessed on the investor relations section of Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) web site.

Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) is a pharmacy benefit management company in North America. Headquartered in St. Louis, Express Scripts provides integrated PBM services including network-pharmacy claims processing, home delivery services, specialty benefit management, benefit-design consultation, drug-utilization review, formulary management, and medical and drug data analysis services.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) has plans to expand across the European Union with the launch of several new sites.
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) is stepping up expansion into European Union countries with an enlarged network of distribution centers and plans to enter new markets.

Seattle-based Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) has been pushing in recent months to grow outside of North America, which accounted for 45% of sales of $7.5 billion during the most recent quarter for the world’s biggest online retailer.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) is now adding to the staff at its European headquarters in Luxembourg, recruiting logistics and shipping experts to oversee further expansion and improve the efficiency of its growing fulfillment network.

We could see more movement when trading continues for Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM), Express Scripts (NASDAQ:ESRX) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN).

Here is another batch of stock briefings which may affect trading on world markets later today.

The following stocks should see some movement: PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM), Raytheon (NYSE:RTN).

Here is a more detailed look at the news that will affect each company when trading continues.

PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP)

PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) has decided to reformulate half of its snacks with natural ingredients.
Frito-Lay North America, snack division of PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) has planned to launch approximately 50 percent of its product portfolio with all natural ingredients by the end of 2011.

Three of its biggest brands including Lay’s potato chips, Tostitos tortilla chips and Sun Chips multigrain snacks will be made with all natural ingredients and won’t be having any artificial or synthetic ingredients in future.

Ann Mukherjee, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Frito-Lay of PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) said, “As the snack food category leader, we have insights that show consumers are seeking a wider range of products made with all natural ingredients. At Frito-Lay North America we want to provide our customers with a broad portfolio of snack options that taste great and are made with real food ingredients.”

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has decided to continue funding for a charitable program in Serbia.
By a joint effort with Economic Expert Community Association (ENECA), Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has agreed the continuation of a charitable grant program to help unemployed people start their own small businesses in Nis in Serbia.

Since the program began in 2009, 50 unemployed people in Nis have successfully started their own businesses with the help of start up grant from Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM).

Skip Bornhuetter, Director South East Europe, Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) said, “As one of Nis’ largest employers, we are very pleased to contribute to the community by funding the ENECA initiative that promotes entrepreneurship”.

Raytheon (NYSE:RTN)

Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) has received $2.1 million in funding for two DARPA projects.
Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) BBN Technologies, a subsidiary of Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) says it has been awarded funding from DARPA for two projects under the Information in a Photon (InPho) program.

The InPho project aims to develop new theory and experimental techniques that enable optical communications and imaging systems to operate at their ultimate limits of information encoding efficiency as permitted by the laws of quantum physics.

Saikat Guha, a scientist at Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) BBN Technologies said, “We are developing techniques that greatly improve the performance of current optical communications and approach the quantum limits of light’s information carrying capacity.”

We could possibly see more movement when trading continues for PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) and Raytheon (NYSE:RTN).

Here is another collection of breaking news stories which may affect companies as trading continues later.

The following stocks should see some movement: PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM), Raytheon (NYSE:RTN).

Here is a more detailed look at the news that will affect each company when trading continues.

PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP)

PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) has decided to reformulate half of its snacks with natural ingredients.
Frito-Lay North America, snack division of PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) has planned to launch approximately 50 percent of its product portfolio with all natural ingredients by the end of 2011.

Three of its biggest brands including Lay’s potato chips, Tostitos tortilla chips and Sun Chips multigrain snacks will be made with all natural ingredients and won’t be having any artificial or synthetic ingredients in future.

Ann Mukherjee, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Frito-Lay of PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) said, “As the snack food category leader, we have insights that show consumers are seeking a wider range of products made with all natural ingredients. At Frito-Lay North America we want to provide our customers with a broad portfolio of snack options that taste great and are made with real food ingredients.”

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM)

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has decided to continue funding for a charitable program in Serbia.
By a joint effort with Economic Expert Community Association (ENECA), Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) has agreed the continuation of a charitable grant program to help unemployed people start their own small businesses in Nis in Serbia.

Since the program began in 2009, 50 unemployed people in Nis have successfully started their own businesses with the help of start up grant from Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM).

Skip Bornhuetter, Director South East Europe, Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) said, “As one of Nis’ largest employers, we are very pleased to contribute to the community by funding the ENECA initiative that promotes entrepreneurship”.

Raytheon (NYSE:RTN)

Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) has received $2.1 million in funding for two DARPA projects.
Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) BBN Technologies, a subsidiary of Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) says it has been awarded funding from DARPA for two projects under the Information in a Photon (InPho) program.

The InPho project aims to develop new theory and experimental techniques that enable optical communications and imaging systems to operate at their ultimate limits of information encoding efficiency as permitted by the laws of quantum physics.

Saikat Guha, a scientist at Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) BBN Technologies said, “We are developing techniques that greatly improve the performance of current optical communications and approach the quantum limits of light’s information carrying capacity.”

We could see more movement when trading continues for PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP), Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) and Raytheon (NYSE:RTN).