Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE – Get Rating) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.27.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PFE. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on shares of Pfizer from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 1st. Barclays reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $49.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $40.00 price objective on Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st.

Pfizer Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $40.78 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Pfizer has a 52-week low of $40.73 and a 52-week high of $56.32. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.81. The company has a market capitalization of $229.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.62.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 31st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.11. Pfizer had a net margin of 31.27% and a return on equity of 42.03%. The business had revenue of $24.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Pfizer will post 3.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.02%. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 26th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Saxon Interests Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 12.9% during the third quarter. Saxon Interests Inc. now owns 8,309 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 951 shares during the period. Platte River Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 62.8% during the third quarter. Platte River Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 12,717 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905 shares during the period. Accuvest Global Advisors grew its holdings in Pfizer by 16.6% during the third quarter. Accuvest Global Advisors now owns 12,994 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $569,000 after acquiring an additional 1,848 shares during the period. Ledyard National Bank grew its holdings in Pfizer by 0.5% during the third quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 364,223 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $15,938,000 after acquiring an additional 1,654 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer during the third quarter worth about $723,000. 67.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Company Profile

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Pfizer Inc is a research-based global biopharmaceutical company. It engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of biopharmaceutical products worldwide. The firm works across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases.