Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Holdings Boosted by BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas grew its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 49.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 287,579 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 95,123 shares during the period. BNP Paribas’ holdings in Pfizer were worth $8,420,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 36.1% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,071,700 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $108,002,000 after acquiring an additional 1,080,822 shares in the last quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI raised its position in Pfizer by 118.7% during the fourth quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 294,764 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,820,000 after acquiring an additional 159,984 shares in the last quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 110,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,926,000 after acquiring an additional 9,963 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 60.8% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 127,967 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,395,000 after purchasing an additional 48,397 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic increased its position in Pfizer by 41.7% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 85,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,255,000 after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $24.19 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $24.34 and its 200-day moving average is $25.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.16, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.67. Pfizer Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.92 and a 1-year high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced 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. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. The firm had revenue of $13.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Pfizer’s payout ratio is 124.64%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock purchased 19,457 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $25.65 per share, with a total value of $499,072.05. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares in the company, valued at $710,684.55. This represents a 235.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PFE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.17.

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.