Pfizer Inc. $PFE Shares Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management increased its stake in Pfizer Inc. by 3.5%, acquiring an additional 27,043 shares, bringing its total holdings to 808,995 shares valued at approximately $19.6 million.
• A number of analysts have adjusted their target prices for Pfizer, with Berenberg Bank lowering its target from $28.00 to $25.00, while Citigroup and Jefferies Financial Group raised theirs to $26.00 and $33.00 respectively.
• Pfizer reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings with an EPS of $0.78, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, reflecting a 7.2% yield.

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 808,995 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 27,043 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Pfizer were worth $19,610,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gould Capital LLC raised its position in Pfizer by 97.2% during the fourth quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Pfizer during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. North Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Pfizer during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Pfizer during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company's stock.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of PFE traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $24.16. 34,232,417 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 40,033,748. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.16. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.92 and a 12-month high of $30.43. The company has a market cap of $137.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.55. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $24.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.23.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.20. Pfizer had a return on equity of 21.42% and a net margin of 16.84%.The firm had revenue of $14.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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 expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 25th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.1%. Pfizer's payout ratio is 91.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on PFE shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Pfizer from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Pfizer from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Pfizer from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Berenberg Bank cut their price objective on Pfizer from $28.00 to $25.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.12.

Pfizer Company Profile

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.