Essential Planning LLC. Takes Position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Essential Planning LLC. bought a new stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 209,735 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,695,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Gladius Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38,015 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of PFE opened at $26.00 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $26.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.19. The company has a market capitalization of $147.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Pfizer Inc. has a 1-year low of $24.48 and a 1-year high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $17.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. Pfizer’s quarterly revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.10 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.62%. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 121.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on PFE. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Pfizer presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pfizer

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock acquired 19,457 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.65 per share, with a total value of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer 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.