Pfizer Inc. $PFE Shares Sold by TCTC Holdings LLC

TCTC Holdings LLC lessened its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 4.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,253,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 54,872 shares during the quarter. Pfizer accounts for 0.9% of TCTC Holdings LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. TCTC Holdings LLC’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $31,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Pfizer by 1.9% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 533,363,457 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $12,928,730,000 after buying an additional 10,198,330 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 127,471,481 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,080,552,000 after acquiring an additional 1,820,634 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Pfizer in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,270,157,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Pfizer by 2.4% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,165,032 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,191,760,000 after purchasing an additional 1,135,457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Pfizer by 2.0% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 48,390,268 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,172,980,000 after purchasing an additional 950,239 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Price Performance

Pfizer stock opened at $27.58 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $25.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $156.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28 and a beta of 0.47. Pfizer Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.92 and a 12-month high of $27.94.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $17.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.93 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 126.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on PFE shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $26.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.00.

Pfizer Profile

Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) is a multinational biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and vaccines for human health. Its activities span discovery research, clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and global commercial distribution across multiple therapeutic areas.

Pfizer’s portfolio and pipeline cover oncology, immunology, cardiology, endocrinology, rare diseases, hospital acute care and anti-infectives, along with a substantial vaccine business.