Ancora Advisors LLC Sells 29,133 Shares of Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Ancora Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in Pfizer Inc. by 17.3%, selling 29,133 shares during the first quarter, now holding a total of 139,101 shares valued at $3.525 million.
• Pacer Advisors Inc. significantly increased its stake in Pfizer by 856.8%, acquiring nearly 18 million additional shares, while institutional ownership currently stands at 68.36%.
• Pfizer recently reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, exceeding estimates by $0.20, and disclosed a quarterly dividend of $0.43 with an annual yield of 6.9%.

Ancora Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 17.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 139,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 29,133 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC's holdings in Pfizer were worth $3,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 11.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 132,478 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,358,000 after purchasing an additional 13,228 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK raised its position in Pfizer by 1.2% during the first quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 1,413,472 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $35,817,000 after acquiring an additional 17,032 shares during the last quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $8,283,000. Alta Advisers Ltd lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 69.6% in the first quarter. Alta Advisers Ltd now owns 31,912 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $809,000 after acquiring an additional 13,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 125,964 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,176,000 after purchasing an additional 10,051 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company's stock.

Pfizer Price Performance

NYSE:PFE traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $24.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 34,585,557 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,757,608. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $24.85 and a 200-day moving average of $24.36. The company has a market capitalization of $141.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.55. Pfizer Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $20.92 and a fifty-two week high of $30.43.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.20. Pfizer had a return on equity of 21.42% and a net margin of 16.84%.The firm had revenue of $14.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.900-3.100 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th were given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 25th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.9%. Pfizer's payout ratio is presently 91.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on PFE shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Pfizer from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. HSBC cut their price objective on Pfizer from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. Berenberg Bank decreased their target price on Pfizer from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Pfizer from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.12.

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.