Van ECK Associates Corp Grows Stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,286,805 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,726,549 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $564,739,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 38,015 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Joseph Group Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 168.3% in the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pfizer Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE PFE opened at $25.46 on Thursday. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $24.48 and a one 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. The company has a market capitalization of $144.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.65.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $17.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.62% and a return on equity of 19.47%. Pfizer’s revenue was up 24.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.10 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is 121.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PFE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $45.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.92.

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.