Voya Financial Advisors Inc. Raises Stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Voya Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,288 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,841 shares during the period. Voya Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

In other Pfizer news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock acquired 19,457 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.65 per share, with a total value of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares in the company, valued at $710,684.55. The trade was a 235.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of PFE stock opened at $22.80 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $24.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.01. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.92 and a 52-week high of $31.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $129.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.67.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The business’s revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.10 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is presently 121.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on PFE shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $25.00 price target (down from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.57.

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.