LGT Group Foundation Buys 423,419 Shares of Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• LGT Group Foundation boosted its stake in Pfizer by 27.1% in Q3, buying 423,419 shares to hold 1,985,137 shares worth about $54.0 million.
• Positive catalysts include China's approval of Pfizer’s GLP‑1 weight‑management drug, recent oncology wins and an Argus upgrade to Buy, which could expand Pfizer’s addressable market and lift sentiment.
• Pfizer recently beat EPS estimates ($0.66 vs. $0.57) and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.43 (annualized yield ~6.4%), but the payout ratio is high at 126%, signaling sustainability risk.

LGT Group Foundation increased its stake in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 27.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,985,137 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after purchasing an additional 423,419 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation's holdings in Pfizer were worth $54,016,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 10,198,330 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 1.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,820,634 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the second quarter worth $2,270,157,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 1.9% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 49,288,054 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $1,255,860,000 after purchasing an additional 897,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Pfizer by 2.4% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company's stock.

More Pfizer News

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 Upgrades and Downgrades

PFE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $25.00 target price on the stock. HSBC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.05.

Pfizer Stock Up 1.7%

PFE opened at $27.07 on Monday. Pfizer Inc. has a 1-year low of $20.92 and a 1-year high of $27.94. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $26.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $153.93 billion, a PE ratio of 19.90 and a beta of 0.47.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $16.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.63 EPS. Pfizer's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 23rd. Pfizer's payout ratio is currently 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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