Pfizer Inc. $PFE Shares Sold by Arizona State Retirement System

Key Points

• Arizona State Retirement System cut its Pfizer stake by 3.7% in Q4, selling 61,293 shares and now holds 1,599,728 shares valued at about $39.83 million.
• Dividend: Pfizer declared a $0.43 quarterly dividend (annualized $1.72) yielding 6.5% with an ex‑dividend/record date of May 8, though the payout ratio is high at 126.47%.
• Pipeline and sentiment: Progress on GLP‑1 programs (China pre‑orders and promising Phase 2b data for PF‑08653944) supports long‑term optionality, but analysts are mixed with a consensus "Hold" and several underperform ratings.

Arizona State Retirement System decreased its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,599,728 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 61,293 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System's holdings in Pfizer were worth $39,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of PFE. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 174.8% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Pfizer by 302.5% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China pre-orders and commercialization progress for Pfizer’s GLP-1 weight‑management drug (Xianweiying) increase near‑term revenue optionality in a large market and validate the obesity franchise expansion. China pre-order Reuters
• Positive Sentiment: PF-08653944 (GLP‑1) continues to show promise — Phase 2b data supporting a once‑monthly dosing profile and a program threaded into >20 obesity trials (10 Phase 3 targeted in 2026) point to a potential multi‑year growth engine beyond legacy COVID products. Yahoo GLP-1 article
• Positive Sentiment: Advances in early‑stage programs: completion of a Phase 1 heart‑failure study in China and launches/advances for PF‑08653944 liver and obesity gastric‑emptying studies broaden pipeline visibility and create long‑term optionality if later‑stage data succeed. Heart failure Phase 1 Liver study Gastric emptying study
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend: Pfizer declared a $0.43 quarterly dividend (350th consecutive quarter), which supports yield‑seeking investors and underpins the stock’s income appeal. Dividend press release
• Neutral Sentiment: New Phase 1 cancer trial start and upcoming ASCO oncology presentations add potential upside if data impress, but early‑stage readouts are uncertain and timing is multi‑quarter. New Phase 1 cancer trial ASCO preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus analyst view remains mixed/neutral (consensus "Hold"), leaving the stock sensitive to headline catalysts and quarter‑to‑quarter beats. Analyst consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Pipeline pruning: Pfizer ended a Phase 1 cancer trial — a near‑term negative for oncology optionality and a reminder that not all internal programs will reach later stages. Trial termination
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades/pressure: Barclays reiterated a "sell" and RBC/others issued underperform ratings — these views can drive short‑term selling and weigh on investor sentiment. Barclays sell note RBC underperform
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage noted the stock has recently fallen on mixed headlines and earnings‑cycle positioning, reflecting a market focus on near‑term growth vs. long‑term pipeline bets. Stock sinks article

Pfizer Price Performance

NYSE PFE opened at $26.65 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $151.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59 and a beta of 0.43. Pfizer Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.97 and a 52-week high of $28.75.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $17.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.93 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The firm's revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 126.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Monday. CICC Research assumed coverage on Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Pfizer from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.48.

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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