Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Trading 2.2% Higher - Should You Buy?

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) were up 2.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $23.93 and last traded at $23.86. Approximately 11,502,318 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 40,908,650 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.35.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on PFE. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Pfizer to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $25.00 target price (down from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.17.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $22.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.98. The company has a market cap of $139.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.57.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $13.72 billion during 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 business's revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.03%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 124.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lipe & Dalton grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 2,659 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Beam Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Pfizer by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Beam Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 27,444 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $728,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Pfizer by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 114,358 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,034,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 35,694 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $947,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Noesis Capital Mangement Corp boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 16,357 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by 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.