Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. Sells 160,000 Shares of Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Letko Brosseau & Associates reduced its Pfizer stake by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 160,000 shares and leaving it with about 3.88 million shares worth roughly $96.6 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with 68.36% of Pfizer shares held by institutions, and several other funds also recently added to or initiated positions in the stock.
• Analysts are mixed on Pfizer: the stock’s consensus rating is Hold with an average target price of $28.82, while recent commentary highlighted both positive catalysts like FDA approval for HYMPAVZI and Pfizer’s obesity pipeline, and ongoing pressure from patent cliffs and competition.

Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. cut its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,878,438 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 160,000 shares during the period. Pfizer accounts for about 1.6% of Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Pfizer worth $96,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Horizon Financial Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 174.8% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 61.0% in the fourth quarter. HFM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Pfizer in the second quarter worth about $32,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on PFE shares. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Pfizer from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Pfizer from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Daiwa Securities Group cut shares of Pfizer from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $27.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Pfizer from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.82.

Trending Headlines about Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved an expanded indication for HYMPAVZI, broadening use to more hemophilia A/B patients and children, which could increase future sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s obesity pipeline remains in focus after phase 2b data showed about 16% weight loss, reinforcing optimism that the company may build a meaningful next-generation growth franchise. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital kept its Buy rating on Pfizer, adding support for the stock but not changing the core story by itself. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple articles highlighted Pfizer’s obesity strategy and its effort to find new growth after the COVID windfall faded, which is encouraging but still early-stage. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broader commentary on patent cliffs and rising competition in obesity drugs underscores the pressure Pfizer faces to replace lost revenue and prove its pipeline can deliver. Article Title

Pfizer Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:PFE opened at $25.67 on Wednesday. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $23.11 and a one year high of $28.75. The company has a 50 day moving average of $26.56 and a 200-day moving average of $26.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $146.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59 and a beta of 0.34.

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

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 131.30%.

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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