Willis Investment Counsel Has $37.64 Million Stock Position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)

Willis Investment Counsel raised its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,418,838 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 121,632 shares during the quarter. Pfizer accounts for about 2.5% of Willis Investment Counsel’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $37,642,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Gladius Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 102.8% during the third 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. Quarry LP bought a new position in Pfizer in the second quarter worth $31,000. Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management increased its holdings in Pfizer by 168.3% in the 3rd quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 1,229 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 771 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on PFE shares. Evercore ISI raised shares of Pfizer to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pfizer from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.92.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Pfizer stock opened at $26.51 on Monday. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $24.48 and a 1 year high of $31.54. The company’s 50-day moving average is $26.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.86. 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 cap of $150.20 billion, a PE ratio of 35.82, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.64.

Pfizer Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 24th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This is a boost from Pfizer’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.49%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 232.44%.

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.