Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Acquired by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Pfizer Inc. by 4.8%, raising its total holdings to around 2.9 million shares valued at approximately $73 million.
• Recent analyst reports have resulted in a mixed outlook, with price targets ranging from $25 to $28 and a consensus rating of "Hold".
• Pfizer announced a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 7.0%.

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,899,841 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 132,371 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of Pfizer worth $73,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. now owns 39,368 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,044,000 after buying an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. Members Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 2.1% in the first quarter. Members Trust Co now owns 23,175 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $587,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Sutton Place Investors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 5.6% in the first quarter. Sutton Place Investors LLC now owns 8,833 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. Bellevue Group AG raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Bellevue Group AG now owns 141,560 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,756,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.8% in the first quarter. Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 65,183 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,652,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE PFE traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $25.16. 31,506,212 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 45,618,887. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.92 and a 12 month high of $30.43. 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 market capitalization of $143.05 billion, a PE ratio of 13.38, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $24.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.46.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $13.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be given a $0.43 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Leerink Partners dropped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Berenberg Bank dropped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.