Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Up 1.2% After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) rose 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. Approximately 33,924,014 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 46,587,574 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.96.

Several other research analysts have also commented on PFE. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Pfizer from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Argus upgraded Pfizer from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company. Finally, HSBC lifted their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.19.

Key Headlines Impacting Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Phase‑3 Lyme vaccine topline showed ~73% efficacy, which investors view as meaningful for Pfizer’s vaccine pipeline and future revenue diversification; the companies plan to pursue regulatory submissions. Pfizer Reports 73% Lyme Vaccine Efficacy as Trial Results Complicate Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism is rising: coverage pieces and raises (including Guggenheim’s $36 price target / buy) signal potential upside and helped lift sentiment around PFE. Pfizer Could Hit $36 by Year-End as Analysts See 2-to-1 Payoff on Key Prostate Cancer Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish writeups highlight Pfizer’s high dividend yield and a rebuilding pipeline (oncology and vaccines) — narrative of “undervalued turnaround” is attracting income and value investors. This 6.5%‑Yielding Dividend Payer is Sitting on a Breakthrough Investors Haven’t Priced In
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer scheduled a public webcast for its May 5 Q1 results and analyst call — investors will get updated financials and management commentary then (watch for guidance and pipeline milestones). Pfizer Invites Public to View and Listen to Webcast of May 5 Conference Call with Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO interviews emphasize recent oncology milestones — useful PR that could translate to incremental confidence but needs trial-readout details to move fundamentals. Pfizer CFO Dave Denton Highlights Firm’s Recent Oncology Milestones
• Negative Sentiment: Valneva’s stock plunged after saying the Lyme trial missed a key statistical target despite >70% efficacy; that outcome injects regulatory and perception risk for the joint program and could delay approvals or affect labeling. VALN Stock Nosedives on Mixed Results From Lyme Disease Vaccine Study
• Negative Sentiment: The Lyme study’s failure to meet its primary endpoint (driven by lower-than-expected case counts) increases execution uncertainty — investors must weigh clinical relevance vs. statistical/regulatory hurdles. Pfizer-Valneva Lyme vaccine shows more than 70% efficacy but misses key goal

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1,282.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 666,318 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $17,677,000 after purchasing an additional 618,117 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Pfizer by 12.5% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 18,766 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $498,000 after buying an additional 2,087 shares during the last quarter. United Bank increased its holdings in Pfizer by 12.4% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 58,087 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,408,000 after buying an additional 6,415 shares during the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in Pfizer during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $311,000. Finally, Waterloo Capital L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 17,541 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $425,000 after acquiring an additional 2,499 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pfizer Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $26.75 and a 200-day moving average of $25.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.06 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The firm had revenue of $17.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share 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.