Weatherly Asset Management L. P. Cuts Holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. decreased its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 11.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,461 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 1,485 shares during the period. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% in the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38,015 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Joseph Group Capital Management raised its stake in Pfizer by 168.3% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Price Performance

PFE opened at $25.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.28 and a 200-day moving average of $27.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $146.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.34, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $24.48 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 announced 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 business had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.10 earnings per share. Pfizer’s quarterly revenue was up 24.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 121.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on PFE. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $45.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI raised Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.92.

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.