Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Up 1.4% – Still a Buy?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shares rose 1.4% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $24.88 and last traded at $24.82. Approximately 11,339,543 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 40,960,856 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.48.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PFE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group upped their target price on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Hsbc Global Res raised Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.17.

Pfizer Stock Down 1.3%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $23.06 and a 200-day moving average of $24.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $139.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.57.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $13.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.43 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. Pfizer’s revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.02%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is currently 124.64%.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mcdonald Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 110,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,926,000 after purchasing an additional 9,963 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $264,000. ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,013,230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,881,000 after purchasing an additional 331,403 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $2,281,000. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 20,587 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 1,404 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

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.