Sectoral Asset Management Inc. Sells 50,000 Shares of Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Key Points

• Sectoral Asset Management Inc. cut its Pfizer stake by 64.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 50,000 shares and leaving it with 27,150 shares valued at about $676,000.
• Pfizer’s pipeline news is mixed but generally supportive: its Phase 3 Lyme vaccine trial is nearing completion, and it is also advancing its pneumococcal vaccine program and other revenue opportunities such as HYMPAVZI expansion and a new Rigel licensing deal.
• The company still faces some headwinds, including the termination of an early KRAS cancer trial and ongoing analyst concerns about patent risk and competition, even as Pfizer recently beat earnings estimates and maintained a 6.6% dividend yield.

Sectoral Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) by 64.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,150 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock after selling 50,000 shares during the quarter. Sectoral Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Pfizer were worth $676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Pfizer by 61.0% during the 4th quarter. HFM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 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: Pfizer’s Phase 3 Lyme vaccine trial is nearing completion, which could be an important step toward a new potential growth driver if the data are supportive. Pfizer’s Phase 3 Lyme Vaccine Trial Nears the Finish Line: What Investors Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer is also advancing a broader pneumococcal vaccine strategy, including positive Phase 2 infant data and a new Phase 3 pediatric program, which supports the company’s long-term vaccine franchise. Pfizer’s Broader Pneumococcal Vaccine Push Might Change The Case For Investing In Pfizer (PFE)
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s HYMPAVZI expansion in Europe and the new Rigel licensing arrangement for VEPPANU add to the company’s revenue opportunities beyond its legacy products. Here’s Why Pfizer (PFE) Is One of the Most Undervalued US Stocks Pfizer’s VEPPANU License With Rigel Adds New Angle To PFE Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer is testing new tablet formulations for tafamidis and migraine treatments in early-stage bioequivalence studies, which are routine development updates but do not yet imply a major commercial impact. Pfizer Tests New Tafamidis Tablet Forms in Phase 1 Bioequivalence Study Pfizer Advances New Migraine Tablet Formulation With Phase 1 Bioequivalence Study
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer also disclosed an observational biosimilar study in Japan, another incremental pipeline item that appears more informational than immediately market-moving. Pfizer’s Bevacizumab Biosimilar Study in Japan: What Investors Should Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Pfizer ended an early Phase 1 KRAS cancer trial, which may be viewed as a setback in one of the company’s closely watched oncology programs. Pfizer Terminates Early KRAS Cancer Trial: What It Means for PFE Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst coverage continues to flag patent risk and competitive pressure, which may limit enthusiasm despite the recent pipeline progress. J&J & Pfizer Face Patent Risks: Which Stock Looks Better Positioned?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on PFE shares. Barclays started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Pfizer from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $25.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $28.61.

Pfizer Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:PFE opened at $25.92 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.79 and a beta of 0.35. Pfizer Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.88 and a 1-year high of $28.75. The company's fifty day moving average price is $26.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.84 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued 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 yield of 6.6%. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio is 131.30%.

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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