Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Stock Price Up 0.4% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) rose 0.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $26.05 and last traded at $26.01. Approximately 10,095,266 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 37,159,148 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.92.

Pfizer Trading Up 1.4 %

The business’s fifty day moving average is $26.28 and its 200-day moving average is $27.44. The firm has a market cap of $148.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.15. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The business had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.55%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 121.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock acquired 19,457 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.65 per share, with a total value of $499,072.05. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares in the company, valued at $710,684.55. This represents a 235.84 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. PVG Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $673,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at $64,000. Forum Financial Management LP grew its position in Pfizer by 56.8% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 96,645 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,564,000 after purchasing an additional 35,001 shares during the period. Griffith & Werner Inc. acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at $2,730,000. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC now owns 71,750 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

About Pfizer

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, Zavzpret, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Abrysvo, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.