Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Down 1.9% – Here’s Why

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s stock price traded down 1.9% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $25.03 and last traded at $25.0510. 58,919,270 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 15% from the average session volume of 51,454,895 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on PFE. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Pfizer from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.28.

Pfizer Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $142.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 0.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $25.11 and its 200-day moving average is $24.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.08. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm had revenue of $16.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.94 billion. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd will be paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.9%. Pfizer’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Curio Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 36,600.0% during the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Pfizer during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.