Topic: How To Invest

Wall Street Stock Forecaster Hotline – Friday, November 4, 2016

Article Excerpt

PFIZER INC., $30.00, New York symbol PFE, is one of the world’s leading prescription drugmakers. Its top-selling brands include Lyrica (epilepsy), Celebrex (arthritis pain) and Enbrel (plaque psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis). The company also makes over-the-counter medications and supplements, including Advil (pain relief), Centrum (vitamins) and Robitussin (cough syrup). In the three months ended September 30, 2016, Pfizer’s earnings of $3.7 billion were unchanged from a year earlier. But due to fewer shares outstanding, earnings per share gained 1.7%, to $0.61 from $0.60 a year earlier. That missed the consensus estimate of $0.62. These figures exclude unusual items, mainly related to acquisitions. Those costs include last year’s $16.1 billion purchase of Hospira, a maker of biosimilars. Its drugs are close copies of biologic drugs, which are made from living organisms such as bacteria and yeast. Pfizer’s revenue in the quarter rose 7.9%, to $13.0 billion from $12.1 billion. That matched the consensus forecast. If you exclude the impact of acquisitions and foreign currency rates, revenue…