Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Acquired by Virtu Financial LLC

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC increased its position in Pfizer Inc. by 41.5% in Q1, purchasing an additional 71,102 shares, bringing its total holdings to 242,292 shares valued at $6.14 million.
• Pfizer recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, resulting in a 7.0% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 91.49%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" on Pfizer's stock, with an average price target of $28.12, reflecting mixed opinions on its future performance.

Virtu Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 41.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 242,292 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 71,102 shares during the period. Pfizer accounts for 0.3% of Virtu Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Pfizer were worth $6,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of PFE. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 523,165,127 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $13,257,004,000 after purchasing an additional 4,629,976 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Pfizer by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 58,382,560 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,548,889,000 after buying an additional 4,167,222 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Pfizer by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 39,402,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,045,351,000 after buying an additional 1,333,740 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Pfizer by 2.8% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 30,296,337 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $767,709,000 after buying an additional 838,198 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 7.0% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 28,239,197 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $715,581,000 after acquiring an additional 1,846,436 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pfizer Price Performance

NYSE:PFE traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $24.64. 34,400,469 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 45,880,207. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.92 and a 52-week 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $24.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.47. The company has a market cap of $140.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.52.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.78 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $14.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 25th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.0%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is 91.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Leerink Partners reduced their target price on Pfizer from $28.00 to $26.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Pfizer from $36.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Bank of America lifted their price objective 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. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.12.

Pfizer 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.