Gradient Investments LLC Trims Stake in Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Gradient Investments LLC reduced its stake in Pfizer Inc. by 30.3% during the 2nd quarter, selling 351,121 shares and holding 809,361 shares worth $19.6 million at the end of the reporting period.
• Pfizer announced an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.78 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.20, with revenues of $14.65 billion, up 10.3% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.43, yielding 7.2%, with a payout ratio of 91.49%.

Gradient Investments LLC lowered its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 30.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 809,361 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 351,121 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in Pfizer were worth $19,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Gould Capital LLC grew its holdings in Pfizer by 97.2% during the 4th quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in Pfizer during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Pfizer during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. North Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on PFE shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Pfizer from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Berenberg Bank lowered their price target on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 29th. 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. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, 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. Two 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.12.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PFE opened at $23.91 on Monday. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $20.92 and a one year high of $30.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $24.79 and a 200 day moving average of $24.27. The firm has a market cap of $135.94 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.55.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.42%. The company 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 company posted $0.60 EPS. The firm'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. As a group, research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date was 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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