Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Sold by Private Trust Co. NA

Private Trust Co. NA cut its holdings in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,564 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 15,641 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% in the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38,015 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Joseph Group Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 168.3% in the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock bought 19,457 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the purchase, the director now owns 27,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $710,684.55. This represents a 235.84 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of PFE opened at $26.43 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $26.35 and its 200-day moving average is $27.34. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $24.48 and a 12 month high of $31.54. The firm has a market cap of $149.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. 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 results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.15. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The company had revenue of $17.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.10 EPS. Pfizer’s quarterly revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.51%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 121.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.