Drystone LLC Takes $3.87 Million Position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Drystone LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 145,800 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,868,000. Pfizer accounts for 3.9% of Drystone LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Gries Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Gries Financial LLC now owns 29,246 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $776,000 after buying an additional 1,853 shares during the period. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management boosted its position in Pfizer by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 139,121 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,691,000 after acquiring an additional 1,408 shares during the period. Allen Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 125,582 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,332,000 after purchasing an additional 11,661 shares during the period. Strategic Blueprint LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 47,169 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Pfizer by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 514,184 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $13,641,000 after purchasing an additional 131,760 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pfizer Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $26.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $26.18 and its 200-day moving average is $27.91. The company has a market cap of $151.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.48 and a 52-week high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 7.07%. The firm had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.17) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.46%. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s payout ratio is 227.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 target price for the company. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.