Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Trading Up 2.5% – Time to Buy?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shot up 2.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $25.52 and last traded at $25.02. 72,765,249 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 41% from the average session volume of 51,585,984 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.40.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on PFE shares. Scotiabank started coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $30.00 price target for the company. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Pfizer from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Pfizer from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $28.28.

Pfizer Stock Up 2.5%

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $24.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market cap of $142.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.31, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.08. Pfizer had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.94 billion. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. Pfizer’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Curio Wealth LLC raised its position in Pfizer by 36,600.0% in the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.