Pfizer Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:PFE)

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders acquired 251,131 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 54% compared to the typical volume of 163,409 call options.

Pfizer Stock Performance

PFE traded up $0.45 on Thursday, hitting $26.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 32,195,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,254,402. Pfizer has a 12 month low of $24.48 and a 12 month high of $31.54. The firm has a market cap of $149.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.96.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 7.07%. The company had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.17) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Pfizer will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.50%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is currently 227.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pfizer

In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 approximately $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its stake in Pfizer by 102.8% in the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38,015 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Pfizer in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in Pfizer during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 168.3% in the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on PFE. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI upgraded Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.00.

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.