Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Trading 1.8% Higher – Still a Buy?

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shot up 1.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $26.45 and last traded at $26.11. 12,197,163 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 38,374,086 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.65.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Daiwa America raised shares of Pfizer from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.92.

Pfizer Trading Up 2.0 %

The business’s 50 day moving average is $28.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.28, a PEG ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.67.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. Pfizer’s quarterly revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.17) EPS. Analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.42%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 227.03%.

Insider Activity

In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 11.9% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 740,727 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $21,437,000 after purchasing an additional 78,675 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in Pfizer by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 190,628 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,517,000 after purchasing an additional 22,068 shares in the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC raised its holdings in Pfizer by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 74,337 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,151,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the period. Destination Wealth Management lifted its stake in Pfizer by 5.9% during the third quarter. Destination Wealth Management now owns 703,928 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $20,372,000 after buying an additional 38,907 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 103.2% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 323,016 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,348,000 after buying an additional 164,032 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.