Blair William & Co. IL Sells 437,039 Shares of Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL reduced its Pfizer stake by 23.5% in Q3, selling 437,039 shares and retaining 1,421,013 shares worth about $36.21 million.
• Positive catalysts include China’s approval of Pfizer’s GLP‑1 weight‑management drug, analyst upgrades (Argus to Buy with a $35 target) and recent oncology wins that support longer‑term growth potential.
• Offsetting risks: Pfizer beat quarterly EPS estimates but faces declining COVID revenue, patent and pricing pressures; institutional ownership is ~68.4% and the company pays a 6.4% yield with a 126% payout ratio.

Blair William & Co. IL lessened its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,421,013 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 437,039 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Pfizer were worth $36,207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of PFE. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Pfizer during the second quarter worth $2,270,157,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 533,363,457 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $12,928,730,000 after purchasing an additional 10,198,330 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 9,012,811 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $229,346,000 after purchasing an additional 6,045,763 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 43.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 18,718,955 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $453,747,000 after purchasing an additional 5,662,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 75.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 8,689,103 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $221,398,000 after purchasing an additional 3,722,531 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on PFE shares. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pfizer from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Daiwa Securities Group downgraded Pfizer from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $27.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Argus upgraded Pfizer from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.05.

Pfizer Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $27.07 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $153.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90 and a beta of 0.47. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $20.92 and a 12 month high of $27.94. The company's 50-day moving average price is $26.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.47.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The company had revenue of $17.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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