Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Purchased by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 30.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 584,206 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 136,130 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP's holdings in Pfizer were worth $14,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of PFE. Beam Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Beam Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 27,444 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $728,000 after buying an additional 401 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 114,358 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,034,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Pfizer by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 35,694 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $947,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 16,357 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $434,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 17,479 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Pfizer to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $29.17.

Pfizer Price Performance

PFE opened at $24.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $138.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.42 and a 200-day moving average of $24.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.26. Pfizer Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.92 and a 1-year high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $13.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.43 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 12.62%. Pfizer's quarterly revenue was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect 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 will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 25th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.08%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is presently 124.64%.

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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