Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems trimmed its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 7.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 394,773 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 32,241 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Pfizer were worth $11,425,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Seelaus Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Pfizer by 61.6% in the 3rd quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 29,427 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $852,000 after buying an additional 11,215 shares in the last quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Pfizer by 1.8% during the third quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,774 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Pfizer by 2.9% during the third quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 152,584 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 4,350 shares during the period. Bank of Marin grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 17.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Marin now owns 8,430 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Finally, Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 678,742 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $19,643,000 after buying an additional 28,933 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pfizer Stock Down 4.7 %

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $24.80 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.64. Pfizer Inc. has a twelve month low of $24.48 and a twelve 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 market capitalization of $140.54 billion, a PE ratio of 33.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.67.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.42. Pfizer had a net margin of 7.07% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The company had revenue of $17.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.17) earnings per share. Pfizer’s revenue for the quarter was up 31.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.42 dividend. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is currently 227.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $32.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Friday, October 25th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Friday. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.92.

Insider Transactions at Pfizer

In other Pfizer news, Director Scott Gottlieb acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were purchased 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 directly owns 10,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $282,400. The trade was a 11.11 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer 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.