Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine Approved for 12-15-Year-Olds — Should You Buy the Stock?
There’s been good news upon good news for pharmaceutical company Pfizer, whose COVID-19 vaccine, co-developed with BioNTech, was recommended yesterday for use in 12-to-15-year-olds. On the heels of that announcement, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said that both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines continue to be “more than 90% effective, based on various studies,” CNN reports.
See: 5 Fascinating Facts About Pfizer
Find: $1400 Stimulus May Be on the Way — This Time from Your State
Pfizer stock jumped slightly, from $39.34 on Tuesday at closing time, up to over $40 per share Thursday morning following Wednesday’s announcements. Overall, the Dow Jones Industrial Average showed a rally, rising 500 points, with tech stocks like Apple and Microsoft also rising.
Pfizer and BioNTech are currently submitting paperwork to the Food and Drug Administration for its coronavirus vaccine, which would mean the vaccine could remain on the market once the pandemic is officially declared to be over, Investor’s Business Daily reports. Approval would also mean the companies could market the vaccine directly to customers and change its price. The company also announced it is also planning to seek approval for a COVID-19 booster shot in mid-July, IBD wrote.
Showing a strong quarterly earnings report, Pfizer recently announced $3.46 billion in first-quarter sales of the vaccine, with $14.58 billion total sales, reflecting 42% sales growth, Investor’s Business Daily reports. The company showed 8% operational sales growth solely based on other products, without taking into account the vaccine.
With these numbers in mind, you may be ready to hit the “buy” button on this big pharma stock. Should you? MarketSmith.com put the Pfizer stock in a buy zone just above a buy point when it hit $39.77, Investor’s Business Daily reported.
Several market experts are showing caution when it comes to investing in the company, however.
“Cash flows from COVID-19 vaccine sales provide Pfizer with greater optionality, but we wait to see how Pfizer allocates that capital before assessing whether they have improved their 2026-2030 outlook,” wrote Mizuho Securities analyst Vamil Divan in a note, excerpted by Motley Fool. Divan moved his assessment from “buy” to “neutral” following the earnings call.
See: Pfizer Shares Are Up as They Submit Vaccine for Full FDA Approval
Find: Is a Fourth Stimulus Check Ever Coming? Does Biden’s New Plan Change Anything? Here’s the (Harsh) Truth
On the other hand, profit margins could soon start to rise as vaccines are manufactured at ever-growing volumes, Motley Fool says. The same article points out that fears over the World Trade Organization waiving patent protections for coronavirus vaccines from U.S.-based companies shouldn’t matter much. Few other companies have the manufacturing capabilities and technical expertise to copy the advanced mRNA technology, Motley Fool writes.
Finally, there is the fact that Pfizer already yields dividends for shareholders, which is enticing to some investors. However, Pfizer subsidiary Viatris, a generic drug manufacturing division of the company, is planning to initiate dividend payments later this year, which will reduce dividend payments for Pfizer, Motley Fool reports.
More From GOBankingRates
Money’s Most Influential: Where Do Americans Get Their Financial Advice?
‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ Author Robert Kiyosaki: You Should Never Say ‘I Can’t Afford That’
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine Approved for 12-15-Year-Olds — Should You Buy the Stock?
