Martin Capital Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Martin Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 551 shares during the period. Martin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tallon Kerry Patrick purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth approximately $509,000. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 1,282.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 666,318 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $17,677,000 after buying an additional 618,117 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 18,766 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 2,087 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,281,000. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pfizer Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE PFE opened at $24.30 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $138.13 billion, a PE ratio of 17.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.57. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.98. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.92 and a 12-month high of $31.54.

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

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.08%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 124.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $24.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on Pfizer from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.17.

Pfizer 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.