Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Up 0.4% – What’s Next?

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shot up 0.4% on Friday . The company traded as high as $25.74 and last traded at $25.70. 6,448,286 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 39,356,457 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.60.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on PFE. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com lowered Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Truist Financial cut their price target on Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.92.

Pfizer Stock Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $145.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.13.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.10 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock bought 19,457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.65 per share, with a total value of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $710,684.55. This trade represents a 235.84 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $2,096,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $854,000. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $301,000. Finally, Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $281,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

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.