Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Down 0.5% – Time to Sell?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s stock price fell 0.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $26.61 and last traded at $26.66. 4,153,788 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 30,662,762 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI raised shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.00.

Pfizer Trading Up 1.1 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $150.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $26.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.01.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. The firm 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.17) EPS. Research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.49%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 227.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lmcg Investments LLC raised its position in Pfizer by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 55,974 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 3,804 shares during the last quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in Pfizer by 192.0% in the 4th quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC now owns 24,713 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $656,000 after buying an additional 16,249 shares during the last quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Culbertson A N & Co. Inc. now owns 22,485 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $597,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Pfizer by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 24,966 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $662,000 after acquiring an additional 2,945 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

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.