Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Up 1.3% – Should You Buy?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s share price was up 1.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $26.12 and last traded at $26.0250. Approximately 46,897,005 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 51,285,859 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on PFE shares. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Pfizer from $33.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 28th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.39.

Pfizer Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $147.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.13 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.65.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.08. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 15.65%.The company had revenue of $16.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.94 billion. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. Analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Curio Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 36,600.0% in the 2nd quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the first quarter worth $28,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Pfizer in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. 68.36% of the stock is 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.