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

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors purchased 202,219 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 24% compared to the typical volume of 163,045 call options.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of PFE traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $25.70. The stock had a trading volume of 15,858,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,368,492. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a market capitalization of $145.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s 50-day moving average is $28.28 and its 200 day moving average is $28.58. Pfizer has a 12-month low of $24.48 and a 12-month high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.17) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Pfizer will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 227.03%.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb purchased 1,000 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Olistico Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Gladius Capital Management LP boosted its position in Pfizer by 102.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38,015 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PFE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Daiwa America upgraded Pfizer from a “moderate buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Evercore ISI raised shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Pfizer from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $28.00 to $34.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.92.

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.