Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Pfizer Call Options (NYSE:PFE)

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 201,090 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 28% compared to the typical volume of 157,196 call options.

Pfizer Stock Up 2.3 %

PFE opened at $26.36 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $26.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.18. 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 stock has a market cap of $149.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.65. Pfizer has a 12 month low of $24.48 and a 12 month high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The company’s revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.17) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Pfizer will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This is a boost 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 yield of 6.53%. Pfizer’s payout ratio is presently 232.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott Gottlieb acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $282,400. This represents 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 the SEC website. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Gladius Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% in the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 38,015 shares during the period. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 168.3% during the third quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PFE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on Pfizer in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Friday, October 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.14.

Pfizer Company Profile

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.