Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Sold by Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd.

Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 299,308 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 14,642 shares during the period. Pfizer comprises about 1.4% of Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd.’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $7,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Motco lifted its holdings in Pfizer by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Motco now owns 140,570 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,729,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 169,634 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,500,000 after purchasing an additional 17,050 shares in the last quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Pfizer by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Argyle Capital Management LLC now owns 134,806 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,576,000 after buying an additional 7,320 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Pfizer by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 46,491 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares during the period. Finally, Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 125,442 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,328,000 after buying an additional 1,323 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Pfizer stock opened at $26.09 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $26.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.35. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.48 and a 52-week high of $31.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 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. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.59%. This is an increase from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 121.99%.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

In other Pfizer news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock purchased 19,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.65 per share, with a total value of $499,072.05. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $710,684.55. This trade represents a 235.84 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.