Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 105,873 Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 105,873 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,809,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI grew its stake in Pfizer by 118.7% in the 4th quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 294,764 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,820,000 after purchasing an additional 159,984 shares during the period. Mcdonald Partners LLC grew its stake in Pfizer by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 110,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,926,000 after purchasing an additional 9,963 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Pfizer by 60.8% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 127,967 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,395,000 after purchasing an additional 48,397 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $264,000. Finally, Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 80.7% during the 4th quarter. Amplius Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 46,823 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,242,000 after buying an additional 20,911 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Stock Performance

NYSE:PFE opened at $22.86 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $23.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.46. Pfizer Inc. has a twelve month low of $20.92 and a twelve month high of $31.54. The stock has a market cap of $129.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.25. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The firm had revenue of $13.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.82 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.52%. Pfizer’s payout ratio is currently 124.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 price target (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pfizer

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock acquired 19,457 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the transaction, 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

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.