Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Up 0.4% – Still a Buy?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shares rose 0.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $24.30 and last traded at $24.02. Approximately 11,108,670 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 48,093,734 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $25.00 price target (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.17.

Pfizer Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $137.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $24.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.75.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.25. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The firm had revenue of $13.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.43 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.11%. Pfizer’s payout ratio is 124.64%.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In related news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock purchased 19,457 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares in the company, valued at $710,684.55. The trade was a 235.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Gould Capital LLC raised its position in Pfizer by 97.2% during the 4th quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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.