First Trust Advisors LP Acquires 1,691,541 Shares of Pfizer Inc. $PFE

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 9.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 20,422,958 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,691,541 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $573,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 174.8% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 61.0% in the fourth quarter. HFM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the period. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 132.2% in the first quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 994 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of PFE stock opened at $24.91 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $25.17 and a 200-day moving average of $26.18. The company has a market cap of $141.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. Pfizer Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.11 and a 52 week high of $28.75.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.84 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 19.44%. Pfizer’s revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is 131.30%.

More Pfizer News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer could benefit from strength in key non-oncology drugs, with Eliquis and Vyndaqel expected to post better Q2 sales, which may help offset declines elsewhere in the portfolio. What to Watch in Pfizer’s Non-Oncology Portfolio This Earnings Season
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer is drawing interest as a potential winner in the large weight-loss drug market, supporting longer-term growth expectations if it can compete successfully. Could Pfizer Ultimately Be the Biggest Winner in the $100 Billion Weight-Loss Market?
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer remains one of the more watched healthcare names among investors, suggesting the stock may see ongoing trading interest ahead of earnings and new updates. Is Trending Stock Pfizer Inc. (PFE) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary compared Pfizer with other sub-$50 stocks, but the note was mainly a general screening piece rather than a company-specific catalyst. 1 Stock Under $50 to Target This Week and 2 We Question
• Negative Sentiment: Pfizer faces new international patent lawsuits from Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences over its mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, creating potential damage claims and injunction risk. Pfizer (PFE) Faces New International Patent Lawsuits Over Covid 19 Vaccine
• Negative Sentiment: COVID-related product sales are expected to decline, which may weigh on quarterly results and reinforce concerns about shrinking pandemic-era revenue streams. What to Watch in Pfizer’s Non-Oncology Portfolio This Earnings Season

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on PFE shares. HSBC lowered shares of Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wolfe Research restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.50.

About Pfizer

Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) is a multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and vaccines for human health. Its activities span discovery research, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and global commercial distribution across multiple therapeutic areas.

Pfizer’s portfolio and pipeline cover oncology, immunology, cardiology, endocrinology, rare diseases, hospital acute care and anti-infectives, along with a substantial vaccine business.