Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Acquired by Ruffer LLP

Ruffer LLP grew its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 248.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,796,012 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,133,786 shares during the quarter. Pfizer accounts for approximately 6.2% of Ruffer LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Ruffer LLP owned 0.10% of Pfizer worth $166,837,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC grew its holdings in Pfizer by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 417,070 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $12,007,000 after purchasing an additional 18,611 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 40.5% in the third quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 4,739,672 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $157,215,000 after purchasing an additional 1,365,295 shares during the period. LifePlan Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $255,000. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $16,166,000. Finally, KLCM Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Pfizer by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 173,793 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,004,000 after purchasing an additional 74,487 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on PFE. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, April 15th. Argus lowered Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Pfizer from $28.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $36.00 price target (up from $33.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pfizer presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $35.86.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of PFE stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $27.90. 3,494,525 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 41,713,906. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.20 and a 1 year high of $40.37. The company has a market cap of $158.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -463.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s 50 day moving average is $27.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.78.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $14.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.87 billion. Pfizer had a positive return on equity of 8.64% and a negative net margin of 0.56%. Pfizer’s quarterly revenue was down 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.23 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -2,799.53%.

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.