Pfizer Inc. $PFE Shares Sold by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Hennessy Advisors cut its Pfizer position by 22.7% in the third quarter, selling 67,213 shares and retaining 228,900 shares valued at approximately $6.53 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 68.36% of Pfizer.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with Pfizer carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $28.65. The stock opened at $30.48, near its 12-month high of $30.67.
• Pfizer reported quarterly earnings and revenue above analyst expectations and announced a $0.43-per-share quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 5.6% annualized yield. However, the payout ratio exceeds 200%, raising questions about long-term dividend coverage.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 228,900 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 67,213 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Pfizer were worth $6,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Pfizer by 144.6% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 861 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 509 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Pfizer by 132.2% during the 1st quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 994 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares during the period. Keb Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Field & Main Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Pfizer from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Scotiabank increased their price target on Pfizer from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Pfizer from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.65.

Pfizer Trading Down 0.1%

Pfizer stock opened at $30.48 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $173.73 billion, a PE ratio of 40.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.31. Pfizer Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.62 and a 12 month high of $30.67. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $28.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.77 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. The business'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. Analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 6th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 226.32%.

Key Stories Impacting Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer reported that its Phase 3 MagnetisMM-32 trial of ELREXFIO met its primary endpoint in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The result supports another potential growth driver for Pfizer’s oncology portfolio. The FDA also expanded the use of TALZENNA plus XTANDI for certain men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, increasing the commercial opportunity for the combination. Pfizer cancer trial and FDA approval article
• Positive Sentiment: New real-world data from China showed continued momentum for lorlatinib in lung cancer treatment, potentially reinforcing the drug’s adoption and durability outside clinical-trial settings. Lorlatinib China study article
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer launched a Phase 1 trial for Alzheimer’s candidate PF-08161842, adding a new early-stage asset to its pipeline. Although the program is years from potential commercialization, it gives investors another source of long-term optionality. PF-08161842 Alzheimer’s trial article
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Pfizer’s third-quarter earnings report, scheduled for November 3. Attention will center on whether non-COVID products and pipeline progress can offset continuing declines in pandemic-related revenue. Pfizer Q3 earnings outlook article
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts remain cautious ahead of earnings, while commentary highlights that Pfizer’s nearly 6% dividend yield exceeded free cash flow in the prior year. That raises questions about long-term payout coverage, even though the dividend remains attractive to income-focused investors. Pfizer dividend safety article

About Pfizer

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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