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

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 200,046 call options on the company. This is an increase of 76% compared to the typical volume of 113,959 call options.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Horizon Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Pfizer by 174.8% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Godfrey Financial Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pfizer during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Keb Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Pfizer during the second quarter worth $26,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in Pfizer in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, HFM Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Pfizer by 61.0% during the fourth quarter. HFM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on PFE shares. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Pfizer from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. HSBC downgraded Pfizer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $32.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.50.

Key Stories Impacting Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer announced that PF-08057418 cleared a Phase 1 safety milestone, which helps reinforce confidence in the company’s research pipeline and early-stage development prospects. Article: Pfizer’s PF-08057418 Clears Phase 1 Safety Milestone, Offering a Quiet Boost to Pipeline Confidence
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer is advancing PF-08653945 into an early-stage obesity trial, giving investors another potential growth driver in a large and competitive therapeutic market. Article: Pfizer Advances New Obesity Shot With Early Stage Trial of PF-08653945
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted Priority Review to Pfizer’s Talzenna plus Xtandi regimen for metastatic prostate cancer, which improves the odds of a faster regulatory decision and supports oncology revenue upside if approved. Article: FDA Grants Priority Review for Pfizer’s TALZENNA Plus XTANDI for the Treatment of Metastatic Prostate Cancer
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual call option activity suggests traders are positioning for a move in Pfizer shares, but it does not by itself confirm a fundamental change in the company’s outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary on Pfizer’s dividend yield and oncology valuation highlights that investors are still weighing income appeal against execution and growth concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Expanded patent litigation tied to Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine business remains a potential overhang, adding legal and operational uncertainty that could pressure sentiment if the dispute escalates. Article: Pfizer (PFE) Faces Expanded Vaccine Lawsuits On A Fair Value Narrative That Still Sees Upside

Pfizer Price Performance

PFE opened at $24.52 on Friday. Pfizer has a twelve month low of $23.11 and a twelve month high of $28.75. The firm has a market cap of $139.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.72 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.16.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.84 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Pfizer will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio is presently 131.30%.

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.