Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Climb 1.8% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) were up 1.8% during trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $30.44 and last traded at $30.3950. 27,525,237 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 31% from the average daily volume of 39,913,023 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PFE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, October 10th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Pfizer from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.72.

Pfizer Trading Up 1.8%

The business’s 50-day moving average price is $28.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.61. The company has a market capitalization of $173.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.99, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $15.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.40 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 19.63%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 226.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PFE. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Pfizer by 2.2% in the second quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,009 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 2.9% during the second quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. now owns 13,168 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 19.4% during the first quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,352 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the period. Eagle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.3% during the first quarter. Eagle Capital Management LLC now owns 126,573 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,554,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, Delta Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Pfizer by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC now owns 25,266 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $709,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Pfizer

Pfizer Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines and vaccines. Its research activities span areas including oncology, internal medicine, inflammation and immunology, hospital care, infectious diseases and rare diseases.

The company’s portfolio includes medicines such as Eliquis, Ibrance, Prevnar and Vyndaqel, as well as vaccines including Comirnaty, Abrysvo and Prevnar. Pfizer also develops treatments through internal research, licensing agreements and collaborations with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, Pfizer has grown into an international healthcare company serving patients and healthcare providers in markets around the world.