Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Up 0.3% – What’s Next?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shot up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $26.07 and last traded at $25.78. 8,341,040 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 39,443,320 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.71.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PFE. StockNews.com downgraded Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Pfizer in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.92.

Pfizer Price Performance

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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.15. The company has a market cap of $145.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.25, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.61.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock bought 19,457 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $25.65 per share, with a total value of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 27,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $710,684.55. This trade represents a 235.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.7% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,745,831 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $166,284,000 after purchasing an additional 37,636 shares in the last quarter. United Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 3.7% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 35,599 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 87.6% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 32,786 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 15,310 shares in the last quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 4.7% in the third quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 55,770 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,614,000 after purchasing an additional 2,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 3.3% in the third quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC now owns 73,828 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,137,000 after purchasing an additional 2,375 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.