Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Acquired by Lecap Asset Management Ltd.

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 20.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 81,193 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,050 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Pfizer were worth $2,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of PFE. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,328,986,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 155,459,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,124,330,000 after purchasing an additional 25,315,159 shares during the period. Starboard Value LP bought a new stake in Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at $407,730,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth $274,694,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 307.5% in the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 10,046,340 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $254,574,000 after buying an additional 7,581,030 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pfizer Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE PFE opened at $24.31 on Wednesday. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.92 and a 12 month high of $31.54. The company has a market capitalization of $138.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.57. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $23.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $13.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.43 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 12.62%. The firm's revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.08%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is currently 124.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Pfizer to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.17.

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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