This deal enhances Pfizer’s prospects

Article Excerpt

PFIZER INC. $36 is a buy. The pharmaceutical giant (New York symbol PFE; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.6 billion; Market cap: $201.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; Dividend yield: 4.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pfizer.com) is now buying Seagen Inc. (Nasdaq symbol SGEN) for $43 billion. That firm specializes in treatments for various forms of cancers. Seagen currently has four drugs on the market that should generate revenue of $2.2 billion in 2023. It also has 11 more treatments in various stages of clinical trials. U.S. competition regulators are now trying to block a similar takeover of Horizon Therapeutics by Amgen. That raises concerns that Pfizer could have trouble closing the Seagen deal. However, the company still expects to complete the purchase in late 2023 or early 2024. Eliminating overlapping operations and making other efficiencies should also let Pfizer cut $1 billion from its annual costs by the end of the first three years. Pfizer is a buy. buy…