Ellerson Group Inc. ADV Trims Stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Ellerson Group Inc. ADV lowered its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 123,422 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 5,600 shares during the period. Pfizer comprises about 2.4% of Ellerson Group Inc. ADV’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Ellerson Group Inc. ADV’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $3,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its position in Pfizer by 102.8% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of PFE opened at $26.71 on Friday. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.48 and a 52-week high of $31.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $26.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.24. The stock has a market cap of $151.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.61.

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

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Pfizer’s payout ratio is 121.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PFE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, November 15th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Pfizer from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pfizer has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.92.

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.