Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Stock Rating Lowered by Daiwa America

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) was downgraded by Daiwa America from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Wolfe Research set a $24.00 target price on shares of Pfizer and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.00.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $27.58 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.78 billion, a PE ratio of 20.28 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $25.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.19. Pfizer has a twelve month low of $20.92 and a twelve month high of $27.94.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. The business 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 20.25%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Pfizer will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 46.4% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 145,263 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,701,000 after acquiring an additional 46,043 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Pfizer in the third quarter worth approximately $3,019,000. Vista Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in Pfizer by 236.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 69,613 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,774,000 after purchasing an additional 48,900 shares during the period. Money Concepts Capital Corp raised its position in Pfizer by 29.9% during the 3rd quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 248,251 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,325,000 after purchasing an additional 57,188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 76.4% in the 3rd quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. now owns 109,269 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,784,000 after buying an additional 47,319 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pfizer Company Profile

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.