Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Down 0.2% – Time to Sell?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s share price fell 0.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $26.19 and last traded at $26.32. 7,639,419 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 38,904,668 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.36.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on PFE. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Friday, October 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. StockNews.com cut Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.14.

Pfizer Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $151.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.65. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $26.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.13.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $17.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 7.07%. Pfizer’s quarterly revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.17) EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.43%. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 232.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pfizer

In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in PFE. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 2.7% during the third quarter. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL now owns 186,650 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $5,402,000 after buying an additional 4,887 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the third quarter worth about $577,000. Logan Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Pfizer by 2.7% during the 3rd 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. lifted its position in Pfizer by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 92,708 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,683,000 after acquiring an additional 14,891 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its holdings 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 valued at $22,082,000 after purchasing an additional 147,405 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.