Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Down 1.9% – Here’s Why

20 Dec 2025, 03:28 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE – Get Free Report) fell 1.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $25.03 and last traded at $25.0510. 58,919,270 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 15% from the average session volume of 51,454,895 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.53.

Key Stores Impacting Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank reaffirmed a Buy on PFE, signaling continued analyst conviction from some firms despite the weak outlook. Scotiabank Reaffirms Buy
Positive Sentiment: Pfizer moved to strengthen its obesity pipeline by licensing a weight-loss drug from Fosun, a strategic push into a high-growth market that could drive medium-term revenue upside if commercialization succeeds. Pfizer licenses weight-loss drug from Fosun
Positive Sentiment: New liver cancer trial update suggests potential longer-term oncology upside, adding to the narrative that successful Phase III execution could materially re-rate the stock over time. Pfizer’s New Liver Cancer Trial
Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and industry write-ups (MarketBeat, Benzinga comparisons, and Motley Fool pieces) are weighing PFE versus peers (Merck, Eli Lilly) — useful context but varied conclusions; these pieces emphasize that Pfizer’s future returns hinge on pipeline execution and commercial recovery. Better Buy in 2026: Pfizer or Merck?
Neutral Sentiment: One analyst summary notes PFE looks materially undervalued with a high forward yield, but warns upside is conditional on successful late‑stage trials and commercialization. This frames PFE as a yield/turnaround play rather than immediate growth. Pfizer Isn’t Dead Money
Negative Sentiment: Pfizer issued a muted 2026 outlook and trimmed profit guidance, citing lower COVID sales and patent/exclusivity pressures; that guidance and the revenue/profit trims are the primary reasons shares fell today. Pfizer Down After Muted 2026 Outlook
Negative Sentiment: Following the outlook, some brokers cut or softened ratings (average brokerage rating now around Hold), and the stock has taken analyst downgrades and short‑term selling pressure. Average Rating of Hold from Brokerages
Negative Sentiment: High-profile commentary (Jim Cramer) highlighting management struggles adds to negative sentiment and short-term headline risk after the guidance release. Jim Cramer: CEO Struggling

Analyst Ratings Changes

PFE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $26.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $28.06.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Pfizer

Pfizer Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $143.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.65 and a beta of 0.46.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.08. Pfizer had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 20.17%. The firm had revenue of $16.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.94 billion. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Investors of record on Friday, January 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 23rd. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Pfizer in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Curio Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 36,600.0% during the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Pfizer in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new position in Pfizer in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Pfizer in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

About Pfizer

(Get Free Report)

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.