Athena Investment Management Sells 809 Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Athena Investment Management lowered its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,368 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 809 shares during the quarter. Pfizer makes up 0.8% of Athena Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Athena Investment Management’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $1,363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 49,216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,424,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. PSI Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. PSI Advisors LLC now owns 27,823 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $738,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 4,073 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 24,978 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 38,706 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,027,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PFE opened at $26.43 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $26.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.34. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.48 and a 1 year high of $31.54. The company has a market capitalization of $149.78 billion, a PE ratio of 18.74, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

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

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.51%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is currently 121.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.92.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock acquired 19,457 shares of Pfizer stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 27,707 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $710,684.55. The trade was a 235.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.