American Century Companies Inc. Sells 546,598 Shares of Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• American Century Companies reduced its stake in Pfizer by 24.6%, selling 546,598 shares in Q3 and now holds 1,675,497 shares valued at about $42.7 million, with institutional investors owning roughly 68.36% of the company.
• Positive catalysts include China's approval of Pfizer's GLP‑1 weight‑management drug and an Argus upgrade to Buy (target $35), but analysts remain mixed overall with a consensus rating of Hold and an average target of $28.05.
• Operating snapshot: Pfizer beat EPS estimates ($0.66 vs. $0.57) on $17.56B in revenue, has a market cap of ~$153.9B, and pays a 6.4% dividend yield126%.

American Century Companies Inc. reduced its position in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,675,497 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 546,598 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Pfizer were worth $42,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of PFE. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Pfizer by 1.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 10,198,330 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 1.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 127,471,481 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,080,552,000 after acquiring an additional 1,820,634 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,270,157,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Pfizer by 2.4% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Pfizer by 2.0% during the 2nd 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. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China approved Pfizer’s GLP‑1 weight‑management drug (Xianweiying / ecnoglutide), opening a large new market for its obesity franchise and reinforcing Pfizer’s push into metabolic drugs — this expands addressable market and supports long‑term revenue potential. China approves Pfizer GLP-1 drug for weight management
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Argus Research upgraded PFE to Buy and set a $35 target, citing progress in the GLP‑1 program and oncology pipeline — this can attract buy interest and boost sentiment among dividend and income investors. Argus Turns Bullish on Pfizer
• Positive Sentiment: Oncology wins: positive Phase 3 EV‑304 PADCEV results and FDA full approval for BRAFTOVI combinations were highlighted as re‑framing Pfizer’s long‑term growth prospects in oncology — supports diversification away from COVID revenues. Pfizer Obesity Nod In China And Cancer Wins
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline expansion in China: Pfizer launched a Phase 1 heart‑failure candidate study in China, signaling continued local R&D investment that could yield future launches in a large market. Pfizer Adds New Early-Stage Heart Failure Candidate
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention & valuation debate: multiple articles note heightened retail/institutional interest and divergent valuation views (trending stock coverage, DCF vs. long‑term return debates) — increases volatility/volume but not a direct fundamental change. Pfizer Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Competition & generics risk for GLP‑1s: coverage notes Pfizer will face crowded competition (and price pressure risk) even as it gains approvals — a mixed commercial outlook. Weight-Loss Drug Approved in China — Up Against Generic Rivals
• Negative Sentiment: Structural headwinds remain: analysts reiterate risks from declining COVID revenues, upcoming patent expirations and U.S. drug‑pricing pressures (IRA) that could limit near‑term growth despite new launches. Can Pfizer Reignite Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: Policy/legal noise: a recent court ruling awarded Pfizer $29M in an SEC settlement dispute (one‑time benefit), but legal and policy developments remain sources of uncertainty for investors. Judge approves Pfizer, SEC settlement

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Argus upgraded Pfizer from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.05.

Pfizer Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:PFE opened at $27.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $153.93 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90 and a beta of 0.47. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $20.92 and a 52-week high of $27.94. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $26.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.48% and a net margin of 12.42%.The company had revenue of $17.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.93 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is currently 126.47%.

Pfizer Company 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.

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