Krilogy Financial LLC Purchases 18,975 Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Krilogy Financial LLC grew its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 69.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,434 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,975 shares during the quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC's holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% during the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38,015 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the second quarter worth $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America bought a new position in Pfizer in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management lifted its position in Pfizer by 168.3% during the third quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 771 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of PFE traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $26.30. 35,146,711 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 35,869,448. The stock has a market cap of $149.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $26.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.99. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.48 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 7.07%. The firm had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.17) EPS. The company's revenue was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.54%. This is a positive change from Pfizer's previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is presently 232.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on PFE shares. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI upgraded Pfizer to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $32.00.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb acquired 1,000 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $28.24 per share, for a total transaction of $28,240.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.06% of the company's stock.

About Pfizer

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.