Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $25.60 and last traded at $25.60. Approximately 8,542,346 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 37,594,320 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.87.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on PFE. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.92.

Pfizer Stock Performance

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 business’s 50 day moving average is $26.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.69. The company has a market cap of $144.88 billion, a PE ratio of 18.12, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.15. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The company had revenue of $17.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. Pfizer’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Pfizer’s payout ratio is presently 121.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Gladius Capital Management LP boosted 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 purchasing an additional 38,015 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 68.36% of the stock is 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.