Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Purchased by Sarasin & Partners LLP

Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 2.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,472,852 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,912 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $37,322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in PFE. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in Pfizer by 0.6% during the first quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 2,432,955 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $61,651,000 after buying an additional 15,509 shares during the period. Walker Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. Walker Asset Management LLC now owns 12,862 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 1,264 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Pfizer by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 5,945 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Pfizer by 13.4% during the first quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 406,837 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $10,309,000 after purchasing an additional 48,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accurate Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Pfizer by 5.8% during the first quarter. Accurate Wealth Management LLC now owns 37,809 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $958,000 after purchasing an additional 2,073 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Stock Up 2.6%

PFE stock opened at $23.97 on Tuesday. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $20.92 and a one year high of $31.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $136.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.00, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $22.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.25. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The firm had revenue of $13.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.18%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is currently 124.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 target price (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.17.

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.