GFS Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 484,009 Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

GFS Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 484,009 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,841,000. Pfizer accounts for 2.0% of GFS Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Pfizer by 102.8% in the 3rd 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. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Pfizer during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new position in Pfizer during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 168.3% in 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $26.51 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.89. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $150.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.82, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 7.07%. The company had revenue of $17.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. The firm’s revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.17) earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.49%. This is an increase from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s payout ratio is currently 232.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PFE. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price on Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.92.

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.