Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Trading 1.2% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) shot up 1.2% during trading on Wednesday after Guggenheim raised their price target on the stock from $35.00 to $36.00. Guggenheim currently has a buy rating on the stock. Pfizer traded as high as $27.53 and last traded at $27.2860. 33,924,014 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 46,587,574 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.96.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on PFE. Argus raised Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Daiwa Securities Group cut Pfizer from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $27.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 target price on Pfizer and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, HSBC lifted their target price on Pfizer from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.19.

Key Pfizer News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 topline for TALAPRO-3 (TALZENNA + XTANDI) in homologous recombination repair prostate cancer — strengthens Pfizer’s oncology franchise and supports future revenue and labeling opportunities. Pfizer Announces Positive TALAPRO-3 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target to $36 and upgraded to a buy — a high-profile analyst lift that can drive demand and re-rate the stock if others follow. Benzinga: Guggenheim Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media bullishness on upside from a key prostate‑cancer trial — several write-ups project significant appreciation (examples cite targets near $36) if oncology readouts continue to progress. 247WallSt: Pfizer Could Hit $36
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Pfizer as a high‑yield, undervalued play with pipeline catalysts — these narratives attract income and value buyers while emphasizing long‑term upside from new assets. 24/7 Wall St: 6.5% Yielding Dividend Payer
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer CFO discussed recent oncology milestones on NYSE Live — management visibility on progress helps reduce execution uncertainty and supports investor confidence. Yahoo Finance: CFO Highlights Oncology Milestones
• Neutral Sentiment: Company scheduled a public webcast and analyst call for May 5 to discuss Q1 results and the Q1 performance report — provides a near-term event for updated guidance and pipeline commentary. Yahoo Finance: May 5 Webcast
• Negative Sentiment: Lyme vaccine readout shows ~73% efficacy but missed the trial’s primary statistical target due to low case numbers — clinical/regulatory uncertainty remains and could delay approvals or reduce near-term impact. Yahoo Finance: Pfizer Lyme Vaccine Data
• Negative Sentiment: Competitor momentum: Bristol Myers’ Opdivo label expansions intensify IO competition — pricing and market-share pressure in oncology could constrain long‑term upside for some Pfizer programs. Yahoo Finance: BMY Opdivo Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: Valneva’s stock plunge after mixed Lyme results highlights partner/regulatory risk — market volatility in related vaccine news can spill over to Pfizer sentiment. Yahoo Finance: VALN Mixed Results

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Pfizer in the second quarter valued at $2,270,157,000. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 19.2% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 89,113,604 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,218,929,000 after acquiring an additional 14,342,946 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 38.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 48,514,971 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,208,023,000 after acquiring an additional 13,581,757 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 47.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 25,070,148 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $638,787,000 after acquiring an additional 8,108,887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Pfizer by 577.5% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 8,786,084 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $218,817,000 after purchasing an additional 7,489,189 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.78 and a 200-day moving average of $25.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06 and a beta of 0.47.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.