Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $157.04 Million Position in Pfizer Inc. $PFE

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,306,808 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 169,048 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Pfizer were worth $157,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PFE. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake 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 valued at $638,787,000 after buying an additional 8,108,887 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 541,346,182 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $13,479,520,000 after buying an additional 7,031,162 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 203.8% during the 3rd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 9,012,811 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $229,346,000 after buying an additional 6,045,763 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 18,373,140 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $468,174,000 after buying an additional 5,978,927 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 120.9% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,505,615 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $230,986,000 after purchasing an additional 5,202,884 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PFE shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $30.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. 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. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Pfizer presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.74.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Shares of PFE opened at $26.42 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $150.24 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43 and a beta of 0.35. Pfizer Inc. has a one year low of $21.97 and a one year high of $28.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $27.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.13.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.84 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 126.47%.

Pfizer News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: Pfizer reported $14.45B in revenue and $0.75 EPS, topping Street estimates as growth from recently launched and acquired products (notably Eliquis and cancer drugs) offset declines in COVID sales. Pfizer beats Q1 profit estimates on strong demand for blood thinner Eliquis (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and M&A support longer-term growth: Management highlighted pipeline progress and the strategic Metsera acquisition (obesity) as key to offsetting legacy declines and to drive post‑2028 growth. Pfizer tops Wall Street estimates, reaffirms outlook as newer products show growth (CNBC)
• Positive Sentiment: Legal and patent developments extend revenue visibility: A patent settlement around Vyndamax and recent favorable rulings (including COVID‑vaccine related wins) were cited as reshaping the company’s post‑2028 revenue outlook. Pfizer Says Vyndamax Drug Patent Settlement Reshapes Post-2028 Revenue View (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: New FDA approval: Pfizer (with Arvinas) won approval for VEPPANU, a first‑of‑its‑kind therapy for ESR1‑mutated advanced breast cancer, adding a near‑term commercial product. Pfizer, Arvinas Win FDA Nod For First-Of-Its-Kind Breast Cancer Therapy (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance reiterated but with modest gaps vs. consensus: Pfizer reaffirmed FY‑2026 guidance (EPS $2.80–3.00; revenue $59.5B–62.5B), roughly in line but the EPS range is slightly conservative versus consensus, leaving limited upside in near‑term estimates. Pfizer Reports Strong First-Quarter Results And Reaffirms 2026 Guidance (BusinessWire)
• Negative Sentiment: Higher R&D and expense pressure: Increased R&D spending weighed on profit, producing lower adjusted margins vs. the prior year and signaling near‑term profit pressure as the company invests in pipeline. Pfizer Revenue Rises But Profit Falls Amid Boosted R&D Spending (WSJ)
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed market reaction and skepticism: Some analysts call the quarter “mild” — beats were offset by conservative guidance and margin pressures, so the report may not satisfy investors focused on near‑term sales acceleration. Why Pfizer’s ‘Mild’ First-Quarter Report Likely Won’t Satisfy Skeptics (Investors.com)

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.