Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 294,496 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 68% compared to the average volume of 175,651 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on PFE shares. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.92.

Pfizer Stock Performance

NYSE:PFE opened at $26.32 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.42. Pfizer has a 52-week low of $24.48 and a 52-week high of $31.54. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $149.14 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64.

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. The company had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 24.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. Analysts forecast that Pfizer will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.54%. This is an increase from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Pfizer’s payout ratio is presently 121.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock bought 19,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $25.65 per share, with a total value of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 27,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $710,684.55. The trade was a 235.84 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Gould Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 97.2% in the fourth quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.