Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Down 0.4% - Time to Sell?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.4% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $21.93 and last traded at $22.06. 8,859,930 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 47,901,273 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.14.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Pfizer to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.57.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $130.16 billion, a PE ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $24.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.97.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.15. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The firm had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.10 earnings per share. Pfizer's revenue for the quarter was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.49%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is presently 121.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock purchased 19,457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 27,707 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $710,684.55. This trade represents a 235.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 518,535,151 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $13,756,738,000 after buying an additional 2,285,276 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Pfizer by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 155,459,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,124,330,000 after acquiring an additional 25,315,159 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Pfizer by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 120,589,782 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,190,131,000 after acquiring an additional 2,923,537 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,328,986,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 76,502,238 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,029,604,000 after purchasing an additional 5,350,381 shares during the period. 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.