Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Stock Price Up 1.8% – Should You Buy?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s stock price rose 1.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $22.55 and last traded at $22.43. Approximately 14,155,583 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 65% from the average daily volume of 40,316,942 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.04.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on PFE shares. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 target price (down from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.07.

Pfizer Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $126.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $25.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.28. 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 results 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. The company had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. Pfizer’s revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pfizer

In related news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock purchased 19,457 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was purchased 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 trade represents a 235.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Passumpsic Savings Bank grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 8.4% in the third quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank now owns 25,680 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $743,000 after acquiring an additional 1,998 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 3rd quarter worth $1,499,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Pfizer by 7.7% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,008 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $404,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Pfizer by 8.4% in the third quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,515 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,649,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.