Legato Capital Management LLC Makes New $2.71 Million Investment in Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Legato Capital Management opened a new position in Pfizer during the fourth quarter, buying 108,724 shares valued at about $2.71 million.
• Several large institutional investors also increased their Pfizer holdings, and institutions now own 68.36% of the company’s stock.
• Pfizer has a mix of pipeline progress and setbacks: its Lyme vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine programs are advancing, but an early KRAS cancer trial was terminated and analysts still point to patent risk and competition.

Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 108,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock, valued at approximately $2,707,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 47.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 25,070,148 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $638,787,000 after purchasing an additional 8,108,887 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 541,346,182 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $13,479,520,000 after purchasing an additional 7,031,162 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew 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 buying an additional 6,045,763 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 48.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 18,373,140 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $468,174,000 after buying an additional 5,978,927 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 120.9% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,505,615 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $230,986,000 after buying an additional 5,202,884 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company's stock.

Key Pfizer News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s Phase 3 Lyme vaccine trial is nearing completion, which could be an important step toward a new potential growth driver if the data are supportive. Pfizer’s Phase 3 Lyme Vaccine Trial Nears the Finish Line: What Investors Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer is also advancing a broader pneumococcal vaccine strategy, including positive Phase 2 infant data and a new Phase 3 pediatric program, which supports the company’s long-term vaccine franchise. Pfizer’s Broader Pneumococcal Vaccine Push Might Change The Case For Investing In Pfizer (PFE)
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s HYMPAVZI expansion in Europe and the new Rigel licensing arrangement for VEPPANU add to the company’s revenue opportunities beyond its legacy products. Here’s Why Pfizer (PFE) Is One of the Most Undervalued US Stocks Pfizer’s VEPPANU License With Rigel Adds New Angle To PFE Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer is testing new tablet formulations for tafamidis and migraine treatments in early-stage bioequivalence studies, which are routine development updates but do not yet imply a major commercial impact. Pfizer Tests New Tafamidis Tablet Forms in Phase 1 Bioequivalence Study Pfizer Advances New Migraine Tablet Formulation With Phase 1 Bioequivalence Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer also disclosed an observational biosimilar study in Japan, another incremental pipeline item that appears more informational than immediately market-moving. Pfizer’s Bevacizumab Biosimilar Study in Japan: What Investors Should Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Pfizer ended an early Phase 1 KRAS cancer trial, which may be viewed as a setback in one of the company’s closely watched oncology programs. Pfizer Terminates Early KRAS Cancer Trial: What It Means for PFE Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst coverage continues to flag patent risk and competitive pressure, which may limit enthusiasm despite the recent pipeline progress. J&J & Pfizer Face Patent Risks: Which Stock Looks Better Positioned?

Pfizer Stock Performance

NYSE:PFE opened at $25.92 on Friday. Pfizer Inc. has a 52 week low of $22.88 and a 52 week high of $28.75. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $147.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.79 and a beta of 0.35.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 11.83%.The business had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Pfizer's payout ratio is currently 131.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Pfizer from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered Pfizer from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $27.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $28.61.

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.

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