Clarus Group Inc. Trims Stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Clarus Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,757 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 473 shares during the period. Clarus Group Inc.’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Joseph Group Capital Management lifted its stake 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 valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 771 shares during the period. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on PFE shares. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $45.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.92.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $25.87 on Tuesday. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $24.48 and a 12-month high of $31.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market cap of $146.58 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.72.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $17.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given 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 dividend yield of 6.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is currently 121.99%.

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.