Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) has been assigned a $40.00 price objective by stock analysts at Jefferies Group in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Jefferies Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.29% from the stock’s previous close.
A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $40.00 price target on Pfizer and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 6th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, November 10th. Vetr raised Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $38.82 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 23rd. Zacks Investment Research raised Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Finally, ValuEngine raised Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.89.
Shares of Pfizer (PFE) opened at $36.60 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $217,800.00, a P/E ratio of 22.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.01. Pfizer has a 12-month low of $30.90 and a 12-month high of $37.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.43.
Pfizer announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Monday, December 18th that permits the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the biopharmaceutical company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.
In related news, insider Alexander R. Mackenzie sold 14,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.30, for a total transaction of $518,910.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 117,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,145,349.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Alexander R. Mackenzie sold 6,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.00, for a total value of $249,750.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 103,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,827,946. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 29,450 shares of company stock worth $1,065,220. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gofen & Glossberg LLC IL raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Gofen & Glossberg LLC IL now owns 480,157 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $17,391,000 after acquiring an additional 3,213 shares in the last quarter. Pennsylvania Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth about $22,749,000. Atria Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments LLC now owns 234,610 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $8,498,000 after buying an additional 25,728 shares during the period. Hexavest Inc. grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Hexavest Inc. now owns 6,927,838 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $250,926,000 after buying an additional 129,181 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa SB Investments Ltd. now owns 8,540 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 1,720 shares during the period. 69.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
TRADEMARK VIOLATION WARNING: “Pfizer (PFE) Given a $40.00 Price Target at Jefferies Group” was originally posted by American Banking and Market News and is the sole property of of American Banking and Market News. If you are accessing this report on another domain, it was illegally stolen and reposted in violation of US & international trademark & copyright law. The correct version of this report can be accessed at https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2018/01/16/pfizer-pfe-given-a-40-00-price-target-at-jefferies-group.html.
About Pfizer
Pfizer Inc (Pfizer) is a research-based global biopharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in the discovery, development and manufacture of healthcare products. Its global portfolio includes medicines and vaccines, as well as consumer healthcare products. The Company manages its commercial operations through two business segments: Pfizer Innovative Health (IH) and Pfizer Essential Health (EH).
