Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Sold by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 72.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 201,298 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 531,663 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC's holdings in Pfizer were worth $5,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. PSI Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Pfizer by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 27,823 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $738,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 38,706 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,027,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Pfizer by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 7,549 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the period. Lipe & Dalton raised its position in Pfizer by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 2,659 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Oliver Luxxe Assets LLC now owns 18,811 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock bought 19,457 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 27,707 shares of the company's stock, valued at $710,684.55. This trade represents a 235.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PFE has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their target price on Pfizer from $28.00 to $24.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Pfizer to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $25.00 target price (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.57.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:PFE traded down $0.15 on Wednesday, hitting $22.38. The company had a trading volume of 50,748,501 shares, compared to its average volume of 40,559,569. The company has a market cap of $126.93 billion, a PE ratio of 15.87, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.67. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $24.69 and a 200 day moving average of $26.06. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.92 and a 52-week high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.15. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The business had revenue of $17.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.10 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.69%. Pfizer's payout ratio is currently 121.99%.

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.