Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Up 1.8% – Time to Buy?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shares were up 1.8% on Friday . The company traded as high as $25.64 and last traded at $25.59. Approximately 8,927,758 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 38,337,441 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.13.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded shares of Pfizer from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.92.

Pfizer Trading Up 2.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $145.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $28.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.57.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The company’s revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.17) earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.55%. Pfizer’s payout ratio is currently 227.03%.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Pfizer during the first quarter worth $315,000. Bellevue Group AG grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 48.0% in the first quarter. Bellevue Group AG now owns 33,834 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 10,966 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Pfizer by 25.7% during the first quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,128 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $614,000 after purchasing an additional 4,525 shares during the last quarter. Lavaca Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Lavaca Capital LLC now owns 11,248 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waverly Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 36.3% in the 1st quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 165,821 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,602,000 after buying an additional 44,118 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pfizer Company Profile

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.