Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Down 1.2% Following Analyst Downgrade

Key Points

• Pfizer shares dipped about 1.2% after Bank of America cut its price target from $27 to $26 and maintained a neutral rating; the stock traded near $26.91 with mid-day volume of ~27.8M (about 38% below average).
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but tilted to cautious: the consensus rating is a Hold with a $28.14 target (1 Strong Buy, 5 Buy, 14 Hold, 3 Sell), though some firms like Guggenheim (PT $36) and others remain more bullish.
• Fundamentals show a modest beat but lingering growth concerns—Pfizer reported Q4 EPS of $0.66 (vs. $0.57 est.) and $17.56B revenue (vs. $16.93B est.), yet revenue fell 1.2% year-over-year and analysts point to competitive pressure from AbbVie as a headwind.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 1.2% on Friday after Bank of America lowered their price target on the stock from $27.00 to $26.00. Bank of America currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Pfizer traded as low as $26.77 and last traded at $26.9050. Approximately 27,788,997 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 38% from the average daily volume of 44,767,879 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.22.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised Pfizer from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.14.

Key Pfizer News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on PFE from $27 to $28 and kept an "equal weight" rating, signaling modest upside vs. the current price and providing some analyst support for the shares. Morgan Stanley raises PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer invited shareholders to its virtual annual meeting on April 23 — routine corporate governance event; may provide updates but is unlikely to move the stock materially by itself. Annual meeting webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces—Zacks and Yahoo/MarketWatch—are revisiting Pfizer’s valuation and Q4 performance, useful for retail interest and sentiment tracking but not introducing new catalysts. Zacks trending stock
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America lowered its price target on PFE from $27 to $26 and moved to a "neutral" rating, which pressures sentiment by implying limited near-term upside. BofA lowers PT
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts note competitive pressure from AbbVie (ABBV), where strong growth from Skyrizi and Rinvoq is offsetting Humira declines and positioning AbbVie ahead of Pfizer in growth expectations—heightening investor concerns over Pfizer’s growth trajectory. AbbVie vs Pfizer
• Negative Sentiment: Follow-up coverage explains recent intraday weakness ("Why Pfizer Stock Tumbled"), which reflects investor reaction to the mix of analyst moves and competitive/growth concerns. Why stock tumbled

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Triad Wealth Partners LLC now owns 20,466 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. ETF Store Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. ETF Store Inc. now owns 10,913 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Pfizer by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Mattern Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,161 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Pines Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Pfizer by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,430 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peak Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Pfizer by 1.4% in the second quarter. Peak Asset Management LLC now owns 28,768 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 402 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Trading Down 1.2%

The company has a market cap of $152.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78 and a beta of 0.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The business had revenue of $17.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. The business's revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.