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

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders acquired 191,434 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 56% compared to the typical daily volume of 122,796 call options.

Pfizer Trading Down 1.5%

Pfizer stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $25.66. The company had a trading volume of 30,504,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 41,032,211. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $26.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.30. The firm has a market cap of $146.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58 and a beta of 0.34. Pfizer has a 12-month low of $23.11 and a 12-month high of $28.75.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.84 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 11.83%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Pfizer will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Pfizer’s payout ratio is 131.30%.

Key Stories Impacting Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. FDA approved an expanded indication for Pfizer’s HYMPAVZI, allowing the hemophilia drug to be used in additional patient groups, including children ages 6 to 11 and more patients with hemophilia A or B. That broadens the commercial opportunity for a newer product and is a clear near-term positive. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer also said mid-stage data support monthly dosing for its GLP-1 therapy, and separate coverage highlighted promising obesity-drug results. Investors see this as evidence Pfizer could become a more serious competitor in the obesity and metabolic disease market, which has major upside potential. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s presentation at the Goldman Sachs Global Healthcare Conference kept attention on its pipeline and strategy, reinforcing the market’s focus on future drug launches and development progress. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary about rising capital spending hurting “cash cow” stocks is a broader market theme and does not appear to be specific to Pfizer, so it is unlikely to be a direct driver of the shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: General articles on dividend stocks and possible takeover targets in obesity may indirectly support sentiment around Pfizer’s pipeline, but they do not report a direct company-specific catalyst. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on PFE. Weiss Ratings raised Pfizer from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Daiwa Securities Group cut Pfizer from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $27.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, February 12th. CICC Research began coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Pfizer from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.82.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PFE. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 145,531 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,087,000 after purchasing an additional 3,281 shares during the period. Farmers National Bank boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 1.9% during the first quarter. Farmers National Bank now owns 83,303 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,546 shares in the last quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the first quarter valued at approximately $562,000. Wealthquest Corp boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 12.3% during the first quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 20,683 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $581,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 49.3% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 129,199 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,628,000 after purchasing an additional 42,667 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.