Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. Acquires 4,152 Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 123,186 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after buying an additional 4,152 shares during the quarter. Pfizer makes up approximately 1.7% of Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $3,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Pfizer by 102.8% during the third quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 38,015 shares during the period. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the third quarter worth $35,000. Joseph Group Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 168.3% in the third quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 771 shares during the period. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Price Performance

NYSE:PFE opened at $25.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.28 and a 200 day moving average of $27.69. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.48 and a 52-week high of $31.54.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $17.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.74%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is presently 121.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on PFE shares. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Pfizer in a report on Friday, November 15th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $45.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.92.

About Pfizer

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.