Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Trading Down 3.3% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) dropped 3.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $25.26 and last traded at $25.7720. Approximately 91,637,100 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 78% from the average daily volume of 51,542,332 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.66.

Pfizer News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus on both EPS and revenue, helped by demand for legacy drugs (Eliquis, others), and management reiterated its 2026 outlook — the beat reduces near‑term earnings risk. Reuters: Pfizer beats fourth-quarter profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Phase 2b data for Pfizer’s monthly injectable GLP‑1 (PF’3944/MET‑097i) showed up to ~12% weight loss and maintained efficacy with monthly dosing — a meaningful pipeline read that could offset later patent expiries if advanced. BusinessWire: Phase 2b results for PF’3944
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reaffirmed a modest 2026 guidance (under $3 EPS), so there’s less forecast uncertainty but also limited upside surprise baked into near‑term estimates. CNBC: Pfizer reaffirms modest 2026 outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Company is repositioning post‑Covid via pipeline investments and deals (e.g., Metsera acquisition assets, vaccine refresh with Novavax Matrix‑M), which supports medium‑term strategy but will take time to translate into growth. Yahoo Finance: Pfizer taps Novavax Matrix‑M
• Negative Sentiment: Investors reacted poorly to continued declines in COVID‑product sales and the broader vaccines business weighing on top‑line growth — this structural revenue drop is a near‑term headwind. FT: Vaccines continue to weigh on sales
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and company commentary flagged patent‑cliff pressure (cited ~$1.5B hit) and rising margin risk over coming years, which limits earnings visibility and valuation support. Seeking Alpha: Pfizer projects annual revenue decline amid patent cliffs
• Negative Sentiment: Reports raised questions about side effects and how the new obesity drug stacks up vs. incumbents (e.g., Lilly’s Zepbound), tempering enthusiasm and contributing to the sell‑off. MSN: Weight‑loss drug data raises questions

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on PFE. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, December 30th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America cut their target price on Pfizer from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Research downgraded Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Pfizer from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.06.

Pfizer Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $25.54 and a 200-day moving average of $25.05. The stock has a market cap of $146.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.28.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $17.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.93 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 20.17%. Pfizer’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.63 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 23rd will be issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PFE. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 36.3% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 107,756 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,683,000 after buying an additional 28,693 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Pfizer by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 45,253 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,127,000 after buying an additional 533 shares in the last quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 59,617 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,484,000 after acquiring an additional 4,606 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID raised its stake in Pfizer by 397.2% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 1,750 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Finally, F m Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 163.9% during the fourth quarter. F m Investments LLC now owns 296,956 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,394,000 after buying an additional 184,420 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

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.