Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Sold by Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC

Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 21.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 115,225 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 31,044 shares during the period. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $3,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its position in Pfizer by 102.8% during the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38,015 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Pfizer during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in Pfizer in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 168.3% in the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 771 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Guggenheim dropped their target price on Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.92.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PFE opened at $26.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.00. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $24.48 and a one year high of $31.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.01, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s fifty day moving average is $26.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.91.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.17) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.46%. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s payout ratio is presently 227.03%.

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.