Versant Capital Management Inc Boosts Holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 53.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,799 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,365 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% in the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 1,043 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 38,015 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Joseph Group Capital Management grew its stake in Pfizer by 168.3% in the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFE has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $45.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.14.

Pfizer Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $26.59 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $150.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.65. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $24.48 and a 12 month high of $31.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $26.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.07.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.42. Pfizer had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 7.07%. The firm had revenue of $17.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.17) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This is a positive change from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s payout ratio is 232.43%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Scott Gottlieb bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $28.24 per share, with a total value of $28,240.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $282,400. This trade represents a 11.11 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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.