Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Aptus Capital Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Pfizer Inc. by 12.4% during the first quarter, owning 195,590 shares worth approximately $4.96 million after selling over 27,000 shares.
• Pfizer's earnings report showed an EPS of $0.78 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.58, with revenues reaching $14.65 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, representing an annualized yield of 6.8% and a payout ratio of 91.49%.

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 12.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 195,590 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 27,613 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Pfizer were worth $4,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Gould Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 97.2% in the fourth quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 493 shares during the period. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the first quarter worth $27,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, North Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the first quarter worth $28,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on PFE shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Pfizer from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Berenberg Bank decreased their target price on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of Pfizer from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.12.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Pfizer stock opened at $25.2950 on Wednesday. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $24.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.41. The company has a market cap of $143.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.45, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.52. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.92 and a 12-month high of $30.43.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.20. Pfizer had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.42%. The firm had revenue of $14.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.900-3.100 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. Pfizer's payout ratio is 91.49%.

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.

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