Updating your Income-Growth Payers: Pfizer Inc.

Article Excerpt

PFIZER INC., $37, is a buy. The company (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.9 billion; Market cap: $218.3 billion; Dividend yield: 3.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Highest; www.pfizer.com) is one of the world’s largest makers of prescription drugs. Its top-selling brands include Lyrica (epilepsy), Celebrex (arthritis pain), Prevnar (pneumonia) and Enbrel (rheumatoid arthritis). Pfizer last increased its quarterly dividend with the March 2019 payment. Shareholders now receive $0.36 a share, up 5.9% from $0.34. The new annual rate of $1.44 offers you a high 3.9% yield. The company has good news for investors. It has now agreed to combine its Upjohn division, which holds Pfizer’s off-patent and generic drug businesses, with Netherlands-based Mylan N.V. (New York symbol MYL). PFE investors will receive 0.12 of a share in the new company for every share they currently hold. They’re only liable for capital gains tax when they sell their new holdings. As a group, Pfizer investors will own 57% of the combined company…