Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 1,246,831 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 584% compared to the typical volume of 182,174 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 1st quarter valued at $232,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. lifted its stake in Pfizer by 3.0% in the first quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 2,689,616 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $74,637,000 after buying an additional 77,752 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 12.9% during the first quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,837 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,216,000 after buying an additional 5,005 shares during the last quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 115.9% during the 1st quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 417,506 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $11,586,000 after buying an additional 224,125 shares during the period. Finally, MAI Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 711,890 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $19,755,000 after acquiring an additional 74,983 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pfizer Stock Performance

NYSE:PFE opened at $28.28 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $160.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -471.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $26.92 and a 200-day moving average of $28.12. Pfizer has a 1 year low of $25.20 and a 1 year high of $40.37.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.26. Pfizer had a negative net margin of 0.56% and a positive return on equity of 8.58%. The firm had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pfizer will post 2.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.94%. Pfizer’s payout ratio is presently -2,799.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on PFE. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Argus downgraded Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $36.00 price objective (up from $33.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim assumed coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price on the stock. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $36.00.

Pfizer Company Profile

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.