Pfizer Inc. $PFE Shares Acquired by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group increased its Pfizer stake by 15.7% in the second quarter, adding 745,213 shares to hold 5.48 million shares worth approximately $132.4 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 68.36% of Pfizer.
• Pfizer reported quarterly EPS of $0.77 and revenue of $15.03 billion, exceeding analyst estimates, while revenue rose 2.6% year over year. The company reaffirmed 2026 EPS guidance of $2.80–$3.00.
• Pfizer’s quarterly dividend is $0.43 per share, or $1.72 annualized, representing a 6.2% yield, though its payout ratio is elevated at 226.32%. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $28.28, amid patent-cliff and litigation concerns.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 15.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,482,863 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 745,213 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.10% of Pfizer worth $132,365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Maridea Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the 2nd quarter valued at about $280,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 23.1% in the second quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,388 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 1,576 shares during the last quarter. Cowa LLC lifted its position in Pfizer by 13.1% during the second quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 23,862 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 2,762 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Pfizer by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 3,354 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 3,137,191 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $75,544,000 after acquiring an additional 289,590 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: Pfizer shares benefited from renewed enthusiasm for cancer vaccines after Merck and Moderna reported positive melanoma-trial results for their personalized mRNA vaccine and Keytruda combination. The news has encouraged investors to reassess Pfizer’s own cancer-vaccine ambitions and broader mRNA exposure. Pfizer Stock Rises Wednesday: What's Going On?
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s obesity strategy remains a potential long-term catalyst. Investors are watching berobenatide, a possible monthly treatment intended to compete with leading GLP-1 drugs and help diversify revenue beyond legacy products. Pfizer's Obesity Push
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s high dividend yield and recent share performance are attracting income-oriented investors. Recent filings also indicate substantial hedge-fund buying, while unusually heavy call-option activity points to improving speculative sentiment. Yield Hunters and Hedge-Fund Buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer completed a real-world study evaluating Ibrance in advanced breast cancer. The study’s completion could provide useful evidence for the product, but investors are awaiting the data and any commercial implications. Pfizer's Ibrance Study Update
• Negative Sentiment: Pfizer is settling thousands of Depo-Provera lawsuits alleging a link to intracranial meningiomas. While a settlement program may reduce litigation uncertainty, it also highlights potentially significant financial exposure and keeps legal risk overhanging the stock. Why Is Pfizer Settling Thousands of Legal Claims?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on Pfizer’s patent cliff. New and acquired medicines may replace much of the revenue lost as older patents expire, but the transition leaves limited room for execution errors and raises concerns about longer-term growth. Pfizer Stock Is a Race Between New Drugs and Old Patents
• Negative Sentiment: Merck’s deeper investment in personalized cancer vaccines raises the competitive bar for Pfizer and could make it harder for Pfizer to establish a leading position in this emerging market. Merck Raises the Stakes for Pfizer's Cancer Vaccine Ambitions

Pfizer Stock Performance

NYSE:PFE opened at $27.83 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.62 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.27. Pfizer Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.58 and a fifty-two week high of $28.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $25.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.24.

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

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Pfizer's payout ratio is currently 226.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on PFE. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, July 6th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Pfizer from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Guggenheim cut their price target on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $31.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, HSBC cut Pfizer from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $32.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.28.

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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