Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Acquires 5,829,204 Shares of Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management nearly doubled its Pfizer stake in the second quarter, purchasing 5.83 million additional shares to hold 11.9 million shares worth approximately $286.6 million.
• Pfizer exceeded quarterly expectations with $0.77 adjusted EPS and $15.03 billion in revenue, while raising the low end of its 2026 outlook and expanding its cost-reduction target.
• Pfizer offers a 6.6% dividend yield, but investors remain cautious because of declining COVID-related revenue, pipeline setbacks and upcoming patent expirations; analysts’ consensus rating is “Hold” with a $28.50 price target.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 96.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,902,374 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,829,204 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.21% of Pfizer worth $286,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter worth about $1,830,986,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Pfizer by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 89,113,604 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,218,929,000 after buying an additional 14,342,946 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Pfizer by 38.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 48,514,971 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,208,023,000 after acquiring an additional 13,581,757 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 577.5% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 8,786,084 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $218,817,000 after buying an additional 7,489,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,433,890 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $533,704,000 after purchasing an additional 7,287,194 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of Pfizer stock opened at $26.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.27. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.58 and a 52-week high of $28.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $149.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.45 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $25.01 and a 200-day moving average of $26.16.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.40 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.63% and a net margin of 6.80%.Pfizer's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.94 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 226.32%.

Key Pfizer News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat and guidance increase: Pfizer reported adjusted earnings of $0.77 per share versus the $0.68 consensus estimate, while revenue of $15.03 billion exceeded expectations of $14.40 billion. Management raised the low end of its 2026 revenue outlook, supported by Eliquis and other non-COVID products. Pfizer Q2 Earnings Call Highlights Non-COVID Growth and Cost Cuts
• Positive Sentiment: Cost savings and pipeline support: Pfizer expanded its cost-reduction target, providing a potential lift to future margins and cash flow. Analysts also highlighted continued growth in newer products and a broader R&D pipeline as offsets to declining COVID revenue. PFE Q2 Deep Dive: New Products Offset COVID Decline, R&D Pipeline Expands
• Positive Sentiment: Clinical catalysts: Pfizer reported positive Phase 3 data for LITFULO in vitiligo and announced progress in a pediatric COVID booster study. It also completed a Phase 1 study of PF-07328948, adding incremental support to its longer-term pipeline narrative. Pfizer Reports Positive Phase 3 LITFULO Data in Vitiligo
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst view remains mixed: Some coverage describes Pfizer as attractive for income investors because of its high dividend yield and potential undervaluation, while RBC Capital maintained a Hold rating. Investors remain focused on execution and the sustainability of the recovery. RBC Capital Remains a Hold on Pfizer
• Negative Sentiment: COVID and pipeline risks persist: COVID pill revenue reportedly fell 95%, and setbacks surrounding Pfizer’s obesity program, along with upcoming patent expirations, continue to raise concerns about long-term growth. These risks explain why the market’s response remains measured despite the earnings beat. Pfizer Covid Pill Revenue Plunges 95%

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Pfizer from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $25.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $33.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on Pfizer from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Pfizer from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.50.

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.

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.

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