Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.92.

PFE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on Pfizer in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of PFE opened at $25.73 on Monday. Pfizer has a 12-month low of $24.48 and a 12-month high of $31.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market cap of $145.81 billion, a PE ratio of 34.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $27.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.38.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The firm had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.17) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Pfizer will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.53%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Pfizer’s payout ratio is 227.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 1,000 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $28.24 per share, for a total transaction of $28,240.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $282,400. The trade was a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% in the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38,015 shares during the period. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Pfizer during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by 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.