Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Trading 1.2% Higher – What’s Next?

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) were up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $27.29 and last traded at $27.1220. Approximately 42,686,807 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 10% from the average daily volume of 47,360,477 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.81.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on PFE shares. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Pfizer from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.05.

Pfizer Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $26.34 and a 200-day moving average of $25.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $154.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94 and a beta of 0.47.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $17.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.93 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The company’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.63 EPS. Research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd were paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 126.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC now owns 20,466 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $510,000 after buying an additional 386 shares during the period. ETF Store Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. ETF Store Inc. now owns 10,913 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Pfizer by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,161 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Pines Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,430 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Peak Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Pfizer by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Peak Asset Management LLC now owns 28,768 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Company Profile

Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) is a multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and vaccines for human health. Its activities span discovery research, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and global commercial distribution across multiple therapeutic areas.

Pfizer’s portfolio and pipeline cover oncology, immunology, cardiology, endocrinology, rare diseases, hospital acute care and anti-infectives, along with a substantial vaccine business.