Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Sold by Gagnon Securities LLC

Gagnon Securities LLC cut its holdings in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 35,476 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 1,766 shares during the quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $941,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP lifted 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 buying an additional 38,015 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Pfizer during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new position in Pfizer during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management lifted its position in Pfizer by 168.3% during the third quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 771 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on PFE shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.92.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PFE opened at $26.51 on Friday. Pfizer Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $24.48 and a fifty-two week high of $31.54. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $26.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market cap of $150.20 billion, a PE ratio of 35.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $17.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 7.07%. The business’s revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.17) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.49%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 232.44%.

Pfizer Company Profile

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.