22,444 Shares in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Acquired by Blue Capital Inc.

Blue Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 22,444 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $595,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PFE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 518,535,151 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $13,756,738,000 after buying an additional 2,285,276 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 155,459,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,124,330,000 after acquiring an additional 25,315,159 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 120,589,782 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,190,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,923,537 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at $2,328,986,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 76,502,238 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,029,604,000 after purchasing an additional 5,350,381 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company's stock.

Pfizer Stock Down 0.5 %

Pfizer stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $22.78. 48,160,808 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 40,426,421. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company's fifty day moving average price is $24.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.67. The company has a market cap of $129.18 billion, a PE ratio of 16.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.58. Pfizer Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.92 and a fifty-two week high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.25. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The firm had revenue of $13.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.43 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.55%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 124.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PFE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pfizer presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $29.17.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock bought 19,457 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $710,684.55. This trade represents a 235.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

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.