Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Down 1.3% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) fell 1.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $26.07 and last traded at $26.11. 7,938,757 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 37,253,129 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFE has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI raised Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price objective 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. One research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.92.

Pfizer Stock Down 0.3 %

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 company has a market capitalization of $145.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $26.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.74.

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 the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.68%. This is a positive change 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%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Summit X LLC increased its position in Pfizer by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 14,756 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth $534,000. Donaldson Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Pfizer by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 35,694 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $947,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in Pfizer by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. now owns 2,150,418 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $57,051,000 after buying an additional 73,594 shares during the period. Finally, Miller Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth about $431,000. Institutional investors 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.