Altshuler Shaham Ltd Reduces Stock Position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Altshuler Shaham Ltd cut its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 98.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 98,236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 7,179,841 shares during the quarter. Pfizer makes up 0.2% of Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $2,828,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 13,922 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 2,514 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its position in Pfizer by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 9,306,192 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $267,925,000 after buying an additional 192,179 shares in the last quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 87.7% in the fourth quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. now owns 49,225 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 23,000 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 268,539 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,731,000 after acquiring an additional 4,543 shares during the period. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 43.7% during the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 26,942 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $861,000 after acquiring an additional 8,194 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on PFE shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Pfizer from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price objective on the stock. Argus lowered shares of Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $36.00 price target (up previously from $33.00) on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $36.00.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:PFE traded down $0.07 on Thursday, reaching $28.20. 47,806,405 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 43,591,230. Pfizer Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.20 and a fifty-two week high of $40.37. The business’s 50-day moving average is $26.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $159.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -469.59, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.63.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.26. Pfizer had a positive return on equity of 8.58% and a negative net margin of 0.56%. The firm had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.39 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -2,799.53%.

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.