Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Position Cut by London Co. of Virginia

London Co. of Virginia lessened its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 89.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,608 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 929,462 shares during the period. London Co. of Virginia’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $2,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $2,809,000. Lionshead Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at about $716,000. Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $664,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Pfizer by 80.7% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 958,315 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,434,000 after acquiring an additional 427,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. JARISLOWSKY FRASER Ltd now owns 158,433 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $4,203,000 after purchasing an additional 7,209 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pfizer Stock Up 3.6%

PFE stock opened at $23.09 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $23.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.48. The company has a market cap of $131.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.37, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.58. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.92 and a 12-month high of $31.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.25. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The business had revenue of $13.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. Pfizer’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.45%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is currently 124.64%.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

In related news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock bought 19,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares in the company, valued at approximately $710,684.55. This represents a 235.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on PFE shares. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $25.00 target price (down from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Hsbc Global Res raised Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.17.

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.