Pfizer Inc. $PFE Shares Sold by AIA Group Ltd

Key Points

• AIA Group cut its Pfizer stake by 25.4% in the third quarter, selling 161,925 shares; it retained 476,665 shares valued at about $13.6 million.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was Hold, with a $28.65 average price target; five analysts rated the stock Buy, 13 Hold and two Sell.
• Pfizer reported quarterly EPS of $0.87 and revenue of $16.58 billion, both above analyst estimates. It also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, equivalent to a 5.7% annualized yield.

AIA Group Ltd cut its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 25.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 476,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 161,925 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in Pfizer were worth $13,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Pfizer in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,049,602,000. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $12,754,464,000 after buying an additional 31,412,883 shares during the period. Nykredit A S purchased a new position in shares of Pfizer during the second quarter worth $205,774,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 96.0% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 11,902,374 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $286,609,000 after buying an additional 5,829,204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.8% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 307,090,897 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $7,394,749,000 after buying an additional 5,501,032 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on PFE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pfizer from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, October 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.65.

Pfizer Price Performance

PFE stock opened at $29.98 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $28.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $170.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.31. Pfizer Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.62 and a 1 year high of $31.06.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.13. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.63% and a net margin of 6.80%. The business had revenue of $16.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is currently 226.32%.

Trending Headlines about Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer beat earnings and revenue expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.87 and revenue of $16.58 billion. It raised its full-year revenue guidance to $62 billion–$64 billion, citing strong performance and momentum in newer and acquired medicines. Pfizer lifts FY26 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Growth is broadening beyond COVID products: launched and acquired medicines grew 32%, with Eliquis, Padcev, Vyndaqel, Nurtec and Lorbrena among the products highlighted. Pfizer also cited progress in its obesity and oncology programs. Pfizer’s product growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer appointed company veteran Cecile Guegan permanent CFO after she served as interim CFO. Her experience may support continuity in financial planning and capital allocation, though the appointment alone does not change the company’s outlook. Pfizer appoints Cecile Guegan CFO
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue was essentially flat year over year as COVID-related demand continued to fall: Paxlovid sales dropped 63% and Comirnaty sales declined 29%. The ongoing transition away from pandemic products leaves investors focused on whether newer medicines can offset those declines. Pfizer Q3 product sales
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat and raised guidance, the stock eased. Investor caution may reflect expectations already embedded in the shares and uncertainty about the longer-term payoff from Pfizer’s acquisitions, pipeline and efforts to address upcoming patent expirations. Pfizer’s growth test ahead

Pfizer Profile

Pfizer Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines and vaccines. Its research activities span areas including oncology, internal medicine, inflammation and immunology, hospital care, infectious diseases and rare diseases.

The company's portfolio includes medicines such as Eliquis, Ibrance, Prevnar and Vyndaqel, as well as vaccines including Comirnaty, Abrysvo and Prevnar. Pfizer also develops treatments through internal research, licensing agreements and collaborations with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, Pfizer has grown into an international healthcare company serving patients and healthcare providers in markets around the world.

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