Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Trading Up 0.4% - What's Next?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) traded up 0.4% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $22.86 and last traded at $22.86. 8,066,328 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 40,475,346 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.78.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on PFE. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Pfizer to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group cut their price target on Pfizer from $28.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.57.

Pfizer Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $130.16 billion, a PE ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.67. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $24.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.15. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The company had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. Pfizer's revenue for the quarter was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.49%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is presently 121.99%.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock bought 19,457 shares of the firm's 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 owns 27,707 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $710,684.55. The trade was a 235.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 518,535,151 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $13,756,738,000 after acquiring an additional 2,285,276 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Pfizer by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 155,459,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,124,330,000 after purchasing an additional 25,315,159 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Pfizer by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 120,589,782 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,190,131,000 after buying an additional 2,923,537 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,328,986,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 76,502,238 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,029,604,000 after acquiring an additional 5,350,381 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.