Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Stock Price Down 0.1% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) traded down 0.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $25.96 and last traded at $26.20. 8,481,401 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 31,155,053 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.22.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.00.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.8 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.03. 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 company has a market cap of $149.81 billion, a PE ratio of 35.74, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $17.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. Pfizer’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.17) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This is an increase from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s payout ratio is 227.03%.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lmcg Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.1% in the second quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 51,777 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,449,000 after buying an additional 543 shares in the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 27,095 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $758,000 after acquiring an additional 2,090 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1,704.3% during the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 157,967 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,420,000 after purchasing an additional 149,212 shares during the period. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 9.6% during the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,549 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Finally, Lumbard & Kellner LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 8.0% during the second quarter. Lumbard & Kellner LLC now owns 113,901 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,187,000 after purchasing an additional 8,454 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.