Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Sold by IMS Capital Management

IMS Capital Management reduced its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 103,791 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 599 shares during the period. Pfizer makes up approximately 1.3% of IMS Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. IMS Capital Management’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $2,754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% in the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38,015 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the third quarter worth $35,000. Joseph Group Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 771 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on PFE shares. UBS Group cut their price target on Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI raised Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.92.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE PFE opened at $25.64 on Friday. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.48 and a 52-week 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. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.63. The firm has a market cap of $145.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.15. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The company had revenue of $17.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. Pfizer’s revenue was up 24.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.71%. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 121.99%.

Pfizer 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.