49,073 Shares in Pfizer Inc. $PFE Bought by Manning & Napier Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Manning & Napier Advisors LLC disclosed a new stake in Pfizer, buying 49,073 shares valued at about $1.23 million in the fourth quarter.
• Pfizer’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $0.75 and revenue of $14.45 billion, while the company also lifted its FY2026 EPS guidance to $2.80-$3.00.
• Investor sentiment remains mixed but generally constructive: analysts have a Hold consensus with an average price target of $28.74, and Pfizer continues to attract income investors thanks to its 6.7% dividend yield.

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 49,073 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $1,226,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Chesapeake Capital Corp IL acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter worth approximately $498,000. Ethic Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 718,938 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $17,902,000 after acquiring an additional 1,977 shares during the last quarter. Ballast Inc. lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 42,618 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,061,000 after acquiring an additional 1,734 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 99,324 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,473,000 after acquiring an additional 9,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cheviot Value Management LLC increased its position in Pfizer by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC now owns 555,832 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $14,374,000 after purchasing an additional 59,656 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Pfizer News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank initiated a Buy view on Pfizer, adding to recent analyst confidence in the stock. Pfizer (PFE) Receives a Buy from Scotiabank
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Pfizer, reinforcing expectations that earnings remain stable and in line with consensus.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Pfizer’s Q1 beat, better-than-expected sales, and progress in its oncology pipeline, suggesting the company’s newer drugs are becoming more important to the investment story. How Pfizer’s Q1 Beat, Oncology Wins and Patent Deals At Pfizer (PFE) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s dividend remains a major draw for income investors, and a recent article argued that the high yield is still supported by management’s execution and cash flow. Pfizer's 6.5% Dividend Yield Looked Too Good to Be True -- but Management Just Silenced the Skeptics
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer is continuing to advance a new Phase 1 cancer trial, which signals ongoing investment in oncology but is still too early to materially change near-term financial results. Pfizer’s New Phase 1 Cancer Trial Signals Fresh Oncology Push for PFE Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer was also mentioned in a cancer-care industry recognition announcement, but the item is mostly reputational and unlikely to move the stock on its own.
• Negative Sentiment: Pfizer halted an early-stage cancer study, and investors may view the termination as a small setback for its oncology pipeline, even if the financial impact is limited. Pfizer Terminates Early-Stage Cancer Trial: What It Means for PFE Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Pfizer ended another early-stage lymphoma combination trial, which adds to concerns that some pipeline programs may not advance as hoped. Pfizer Ends Early-Stage Lymphoma Combo Trial, Trimming a Small Piece of Its Oncology Upside

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on PFE shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Daiwa Securities Group downgraded shares of Pfizer from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $27.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Pfizer from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, March 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.74.

Pfizer Price Performance

PFE opened at $25.65 on Monday. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $21.97 and a 1 year high of $28.75. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $27.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.84 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 19.44%. Pfizer's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.92 earnings per share. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.98 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 131.30%.

About Pfizer

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.