Pfizer Inc. $PFE Position Lessened by Westpac Banking Corp

Key Points

• Westpac Banking Corp cut its Pfizer stake by 61% in the second quarter, selling 154,507 shares and retaining 98,978 shares valued at approximately $2.38 million. Institutional investors collectively own 68.36% of Pfizer.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with Pfizer carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $28.28. Ratings include one Strong Buy, four Buys, fourteen Holds, and two Sells.
• Pfizer beat quarterly expectations with adjusted EPS of $0.77 and revenue of $15.03 billion, while announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share—an annualized yield of roughly 6.1%.

Westpac Banking Corp lowered its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 61.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 98,978 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 154,507 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp's holdings in Pfizer were worth $2,383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Pfizer by 1.3% in 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. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 6.3% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 529,670,433 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $12,754,464,000 after acquiring an additional 31,412,883 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 300,445,164 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,481,085,000 after acquiring an additional 1,357,756 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 130,192,081 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $3,235,642,000 after acquiring an additional 1,184,728 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 89,113,604 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,218,929,000 after acquiring an additional 14,342,946 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Pfizer from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pfizer from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, May 14th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pfizer has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.28.

Pfizer Stock Performance

PFE stock opened at $28.00 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $159.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.84 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.25. Pfizer Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.58 and a fifty-two week high of $28.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.09. Pfizer had a net margin of 6.80% and a return on equity of 19.63%. The firm had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Pfizer's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 226.32%.

Trending Headlines about Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer completed a Phase 1/2 study of PF-07868489, an experimental treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension. The milestone supports early-stage pipeline progress, though additional clinical testing will be needed before any potential commercialization. Pfizer’s PF-07868489 PAH Study Reaches Completion
• Positive Sentiment: Several additional clinical updates highlighted progress across Pfizer’s development portfolio: completion of a Phase 1 atirmociclib study, completion of a drug-interaction study for PF-07248144, and a new Phase 1 liver study for atirmociclib. These milestones may reinforce confidence in Pfizer’s ability to replenish revenue as older products face competition. Atirmociclib Study Update PF-07248144 Study Update
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer is also expanding real-world evidence efforts for prostate cancer therapies, Ibrance in advanced breast cancer, and a migraine treatment study in India. These studies could support broader use and strengthen commercial evidence for existing medicines. Pfizer Real-World Prostate Cancer Study
• Positive Sentiment: Investor-oriented coverage remains constructive, citing Pfizer’s roughly 19% year-to-date gain, attractive dividend yield, and reported hedge-fund buying. The stock’s move toward its 52-week high suggests improving sentiment. Hedge Funds Buying Pfizer
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually large options activity may increase short-term trading interest, but it does not establish a clear fundamental direction for PFE. Pfizer Options Trading
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage of settlements involving thousands of Depo-Provera lawsuits raises concerns about potential legal costs and ongoing liability. Analysts also continue to weigh whether new drugs and acquisitions can offset revenue losses from expiring patents. Pfizer Legal Claims

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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