UBS Group Raises Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Price Target to $27.00

Key Points

• UBS raised its price target on Pfizer from $25 to $27 while keeping a "neutral" rating, with the new target implying about a 1.19% downside from the prior close.
• Analysts' consensus remains a "Hold" with an average price target of $28.24, though HSBC raised its target to $32 (buy) and BMO maintains a $30 outperform target, indicating mixed views.
• Pfizer traded up ~1.5% to $27.32 after reporting Q4 EPS of $0.66 (vs. $0.57 est.) and revenue of $17.56B (vs. $16.93B), a beat despite a 1.2% year-over-year revenue decline.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at UBS Group from $25.00 to $27.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. UBS Group's price target points to a potential downside of 1.19% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on PFE. HSBC upped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, March 9th. Daiwa Securities Group cut shares of Pfizer from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $27.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pfizer from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.24.

Pfizer Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE PFE traded up $0.40 during trading on Monday, reaching $27.32. 44,069,163 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 44,758,160. The firm has a market cap of $155.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $27.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Pfizer has a fifty-two week low of $21.87 and a fifty-two week high of $28.75.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $17.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.93 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Pfizer will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Horizon Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 174.8% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Pfizer by 61.0% during the fourth quarter. HFM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Pfizer during the third quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company's stock.

About Pfizer

Pfizer Inc NYSE: PFE is a multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and vaccines for human health. Its activities span discovery research, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and global commercial distribution across multiple therapeutic areas.

Pfizer's portfolio and pipeline cover oncology, immunology, cardiology, endocrinology, rare diseases, hospital acute care and anti-infectives, along with a substantial vaccine business.

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