Appleton Partners Inc. MA Boosts Stock Position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Appleton Partners Inc. MA raised its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 18.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,416 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,789 shares during the period. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $289,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Clarity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Gould Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 97.2% during the fourth quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $23.97 on Friday. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.92 and a 12-month high of $31.54. The company has a market capitalization of $136.27 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50 day moving average of $23.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.25. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 12.62%. The company had revenue of $13.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. Pfizer’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 13th. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.18%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is currently 124.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 price target (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated 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. Finally, UBS Group boosted 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 issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.17.

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.