Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Trading Up 4% - Still a Buy?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 4% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $26.45 and last traded at $26.26. Approximately 30,497,885 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 38,455,453 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on PFE shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Friday, October 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim lowered their price target on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Pfizer from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $32.15.

Pfizer Trading Up 4.6 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.03 and a 200 day moving average of $28.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.70, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.65.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 7.07%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.17) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This is a positive change from Pfizer's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 227.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb acquired 1,000 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $28.24 per share, for a total transaction of $28,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL now owns 186,650 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $5,402,000 after purchasing an additional 4,887 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Pfizer during the third quarter valued at about $577,000. Logan Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 2.7% in the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 580,545 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $16,801,000 after buying an additional 15,160 shares during the period. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 19.1% in the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 92,708 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,683,000 after acquiring an additional 14,891 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 23.9% in the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 762,976 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $22,082,000 after acquiring an additional 147,405 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by 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.