Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 446,836 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 114% compared to the typical volume of 208,382 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PFE. Scotiabank began coverage on Pfizer in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Pfizer in a 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.88.

Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PFE opened at $25.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.01. Pfizer has a 1-year low of $20.92 and a 1-year high of $27.69. The firm has a market cap of $145.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.91 and a beta of 0.47.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $16.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.94 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 20.17%. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Pfizer will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 23rd. Pfizer’s payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 533,363,457 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $12,928,730,000 after purchasing an additional 10,198,330 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Pfizer by 0.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 299,087,408 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,620,747,000 after buying an additional 2,786,098 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Pfizer by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 127,471,481 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,080,552,000 after acquiring an additional 1,820,634 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,270,157,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 64,019,807 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,631,225,000 after acquiring an additional 869,175 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Pfizer News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NICE recommended Pfizer’s PARP inhibitor Talzenna for adults with prostate cancer — a UK endorsement that supports incremental oncology revenue and validates Pfizer’s targeted‑therapy strategy. NICE backs Pfizer’s Talzenna for adults with prostate cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer launched a large Phase 3 lung‑cancer trial positioning its regimen against Merck’s Keytruda — a successful outcome would target a high‑value oncology market and materially boost long‑term growth expectations. Pfizer Takes Aim at Keytruda in New Phase 3 Lung Cancer Study: What Investors Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer moved a COPD candidate into a Phase 2/3 trial, strengthening its post‑COVID respiratory pipeline and the company’s addressable market in chronic lung disease. Pfizer Advances New COPD Candidate Into Phase 2/3, Adding Depth to Its Post-COVID Pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Novavax and Pfizer reached a licensing agreement on the Matrix‑M adjuvant — this could reshape Pfizer’s vaccine platform strategy by expanding adjuvant options and serviceable vaccine markets. Novavax inks license agreement with Pfizer
• Positive Sentiment: Early‑stage pipeline progress: PF‑07248144 advanced with a drug–interaction study and PF‑08065010 entered Phase 1 — steady, low‑visibility pipeline work that reduces binary risk over time. Pfizer Advances PF-07248144 With New Drug–Interaction Study, Signaling Quiet Pipeline Progress
• Neutral Sentiment: Large options flow: traders bought ~446,836 call options (≈+114% vs. typical volume) — indicates short‑term bullish/speculative positioning but not a direct fundamental signal. (Market data)
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Albert Bourla publicly criticized RFK Jr.’s vaccine views and warned the U.S. risks falling behind China in health research — a strong management stance on science and policy that can influence regulatory/public perception but is not an immediate earnings driver. Pfizer CEO Calls RFK’s Vaccine Views Anti-Science, Warns US Falling Behind China In Health Research
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concerns persist on pricing and post‑COVID revenue sustainability — recent pieces question whether Pfizer’s current valuation reflects secular headwinds and pricing pressure, which helps explain selling pressure despite pipeline news. Is Pfizer (PFE) Pricing Make Sense After Post Covid Slowdown Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Opinion pieces highlight a debate whether Pfizer is an attractive dividend/value play or a value trap — ongoing skepticism around growth prospects can keep the stock depressed. Is Pfizer an Absurdly Cheap Dividend Stock, or Just a Value Trap?

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.