Morningstar Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Morningstar Investment Management LLC cut its Pfizer stake by 21% in the fourth quarter, selling 68,676 shares and leaving it with 257,882 shares valued at about $6.42 million.
• Several other large institutional investors increased their Pfizer holdings, and hedge funds and other institutions still own 68.36% of the company’s stock.
• Pfizer recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, raised its dividend to $0.43 per share, and continues to have a consensus Wall Street rating of Hold with an average price target of $28.61.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 21.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 257,882 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 68,676 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Pfizer were worth $6,421,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 47.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 25,070,148 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $638,787,000 after buying an additional 8,108,887 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 541,346,182 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $13,479,520,000 after buying an additional 7,031,162 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 203.8% during the third 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 last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 48.2% during the third 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 last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 120.9% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,505,615 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on PFE. UBS Group lifted their price target on Pfizer from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays began coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, February 19th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Pfizer from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.61.

Pfizer News Summary

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

Shares of PFE opened at $25.92 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $147.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.79 and a beta of 0.35. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $26.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $26.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.94. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.88 and a 1 year high of $28.75.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.84 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 11.83%.The business's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 earnings per share. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Pfizer's payout ratio is presently 131.30%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PFE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report).

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.