First Trust Advisors LP Has $573.48 Million Stock Holdings in Pfizer Inc. $PFE

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 9.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,422,958 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,691,541 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.36% of Pfizer worth $573,477,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Pfizer by 174.8% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares during the period. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 61.0% in the 4th quarter. HFM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 132.2% in the 1st quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 994 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer could benefit from strength in key non-oncology drugs, with Eliquis and Vyndaqel expected to post better Q2 sales, which may help offset declines elsewhere in the portfolio. What to Watch in Pfizer’s Non-Oncology Portfolio This Earnings Season
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer is drawing interest as a potential winner in the large weight-loss drug market, supporting longer-term growth expectations if it can compete successfully. Could Pfizer Ultimately Be the Biggest Winner in the $100 Billion Weight-Loss Market?
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer remains one of the more watched healthcare names among investors, suggesting the stock may see ongoing trading interest ahead of earnings and new updates. Is Trending Stock Pfizer Inc. (PFE) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary compared Pfizer with other sub-$50 stocks, but the note was mainly a general screening piece rather than a company-specific catalyst. 1 Stock Under $50 to Target This Week and 2 We Question
• Negative Sentiment: Pfizer faces new international patent lawsuits from Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences over its mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, creating potential damage claims and injunction risk. Pfizer (PFE) Faces New International Patent Lawsuits Over Covid 19 Vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: COVID-related product sales are expected to decline, which may weigh on quarterly results and reinforce concerns about shrinking pandemic-era revenue streams. What to Watch in Pfizer’s Non-Oncology Portfolio This Earnings Season

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of Pfizer stock opened at $24.91 on Wednesday. Pfizer Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.11 and a fifty-two week high of $28.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $25.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.18.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. Pfizer had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The company had revenue of $14.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is presently 131.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, July 6th. HSBC lowered Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $32.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.50.

About Pfizer

Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) is a multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and vaccines for human health. Its activities span discovery research, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and global commercial distribution across multiple therapeutic areas.

Pfizer’s portfolio and pipeline cover oncology, immunology, cardiology, endocrinology, rare diseases, hospital acute care and anti-infectives, along with a substantial vaccine business.