Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $29.17.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Pfizer to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Pfizer Price Performance

Pfizer stock opened at $22.78 on Thursday. The company's 50 day moving average is $24.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Pfizer has a 52-week low of $20.92 and a 52-week high of $31.54. The firm has a market cap of $129.18 billion, a PE ratio of 16.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.58.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $13.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.43 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Pfizer will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is currently 124.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pfizer

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock purchased 19,457 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $710,684.55. The trade was a 235.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PFE. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,328,986,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 155,459,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,124,330,000 after buying an additional 25,315,159 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Pfizer by 856.8% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 20,053,828 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $508,164,000 after buying an additional 17,957,928 shares in the last quarter. Starboard Value LP purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at $407,730,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at $274,694,000. 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.

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