Sterling Capital Management LLC Sells 8,745 Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Sterling Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 8,745 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $3,510,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Curio Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Pfizer Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of PFE stock opened at $21.89 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $25.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $20.92 and a 1 year high of $31.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $124.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.67.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released 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. The business had revenue of $17.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.26 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.47% and a net margin of 12.62%. Pfizer’s revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.10 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PFE. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $32.00) on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Pfizer from $28.00 to $24.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.07.

Insider Activity at Pfizer

In other news, Director Ronald E. Blaylock purchased 19,457 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.65 per share, for a total transaction of $499,072.05. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 27,707 shares in the company, valued at $710,684.55. The trade was a 235.84 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.