Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $24.52 and last traded at $24.77, with a volume of 9747602 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $26.02.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday. They set an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised Pfizer from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $28.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.92.

Pfizer Stock Down 4.6 %

The firm has a market cap of $140.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.84, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $28.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.17) EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.77%. Pfizer’s payout ratio is currently 227.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pfizer

In other news, Director Scott Gottlieb acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $282,400. The trade was a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Pfizer during the 1st quarter valued at about $315,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 16.0% during the first quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 72,467 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,011,000 after acquiring an additional 9,989 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in Pfizer by 1.8% during the first quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 57,342 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the first quarter worth approximately $19,885,000. Finally, Poehling Capital Management INC. boosted its stake in Pfizer by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Poehling Capital Management INC. now owns 54,416 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,510,000 after purchasing an additional 4,609 shares in the last quarter. 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.