Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV Lowers Stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV trimmed its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 86,078 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 6,564 shares during the period. Pfizer comprises about 2.1% of Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $2,284,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Pfizer by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 518,535,151 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $13,756,738,000 after acquiring an additional 2,285,276 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Pfizer by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 155,459,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,124,330,000 after purchasing an additional 25,315,159 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Pfizer by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 120,589,782 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,190,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,923,537 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth about $2,328,986,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Pfizer by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 76,502,238 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,029,604,000 after purchasing an additional 5,350,381 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of PFE stock opened at $22.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $23.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.46. The stock has a market cap of $129.97 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.58. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.92 and a 1 year 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.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $13.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.43 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 124.64%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.17.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock acquired 19,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $710,684.55. This represents a 235.84% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.