Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Cuts Stock Position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 70.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 36,233 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 84,706 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its stake in Pfizer by 102.8% during the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 38,015 shares during the period. MFA Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer in the second quarter worth $29,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the second quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new position in Pfizer in the third quarter valued at $35,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:PFE opened at $25.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $143.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.65. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.48 and a 52-week high of $31.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $27.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.31. 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 announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The business had revenue of $17.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.92 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.17) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.78%. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is presently 227.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI raised Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pfizer presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.43.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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.