Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) ended Tuesday’s session (December 23, 2025) lower, then steadied in extended trading as investors digested a late-day safety headline tied to its hemophilia medicine Hympavzi (marstacimab).
After-hours snapshot (as of 6:56 p.m. ET): PFE traded around $24.92, up about 0.16% in after-hours action, after closing the regular session at $24.88. [1]
During Tuesday’s regular session, PFE ranged roughly between $24.84 and $25.34 with volume near 43.7 million shares.
Where Pfizer Stock Closed on Dec. 23—and Why the Tape Looked “Holiday Thin”
PFE closed down 1.31% at $24.88, snapping a two-day winning streak even as the broader market finished higher (S&P 500 up 0.46%, Dow up 0.16%). [2]
One thing that jumped out: trading volume was lighter than normal—about 43.2 million shares versus a 50-day average near 69.4 million, a typical feature of the pre-holiday stretch when liquidity can thin and single headlines can have an outsized short-term effect. [3]
Pfizer also remains meaningfully below its recent peak: Tuesday’s close left PFE roughly 10% under its 52-week high of $27.69 (set October 3). [4]
The Main “After the Bell” Catalyst: Hympavzi Trial Death Report
Late Tuesday, Reuters reported that a patient in a long-term study evaluating Pfizer’s hemophilia drug Hympavzi died after severe adverse events. [5]
Key details circulating in today’s reports:
- The patient died on December 14 after a stroke followed by a brain hemorrhage, according to the European Haemophilia Consortium, as cited by Reuters. [6]
- Pfizer said it is working with the trial investigator and an independent external Data Monitoring Committee to understand what happened and described the situation as “complex” and “multi-factorial.” [7]
- Additional reporting noted the patient had hemophilia A with inhibitors and that the fatal event occurred in a perioperative context (following minor surgery) involving marstacimab prophylaxis plus recombinant factor VIIa. [8]
- Investing.com also reported Pfizer has notified relevant regulatory authorities and is reviewing surgical management protocols within the development program. [9]
Why this matters for PFE investors—especially into tomorrow’s open
For a large-cap pharma like Pfizer, “trial safety” headlines can move the stock in two ways:
- Immediate sentiment shock: Even if a product is not yet a major revenue driver, investors often sell first and wait for clarity when adverse-event language includes thrombosis, stroke, hemorrhage, or clinical-trial protocols.
- Pathway risk: The bigger medium-term concern is whether regulators request protocol changes, mandate additional warnings, or place certain studies on hold—steps that can slow uptake or delay expansion into new patient subgroups.
Pfizer said it does not anticipate an impact to safety for patients treated with the drug based on current knowledge and overall clinical data to date. [10]
At the same time, multiple reports emphasize that use in patients with inhibitors remains under evaluation (i.e., not the same as the currently approved population). [11]
Today’s Forecasts and Wall Street View: Price Targets Still Cluster in the High-$20s
Despite the day’s decline, consensus-style forecasts published/updated across major market-data aggregators still point to modest upside—though with a wide range that reflects uncertainty about growth catalysts and the patent cliff.
- MarketBeat lists an average 12‑month price target around $28.06 (low $24, high $35). [12]
- TipRanks shows an average target around $28.80 (high $35, low $24) based on recent analyst targets. [13]
- MarketWatch (via its analyst-estimates snippet) shows an average target price around $28.51 with 28 ratings. [14]
- Capital.com, citing LSEG-sourced ranges, points to a broad 12‑month range roughly $23 to the high-$30s, with an average around the high-$20s. [15]
And in a “what’s next” style recap published Tuesday, MarketBeat highlighted how the Street remains split—skewing toward Hold/Neutral—with price targets that commonly bracket the mid-to-high $20s. [16]
How to interpret that for tomorrow morning: In practical terms, Tuesday’s after-hours firmness suggests the market is not yet pricing a worst-case scenario from the Hympavzi headline—but pre-market can reprice quickly if new details emerge (protocol changes, trial enrollment pauses, regulator requests, or additional events).
The Bigger Fundamental Backdrop Still Driving PFE: Pfizer’s 2026 Guidance
While today’s safety news is the headline catalyst, Pfizer’s recent guidance reset remains the central narrative for longer-horizon investors.
On December 16, Pfizer provided full-year 2026 guidance and revised its 2025 revenue view, including:
- 2026 revenue guidance:$59.5B to $62.5B
- 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance:$2.80 to $3.00
- 2025 revenue: revised to approximately $62.0B
- 2025 adjusted diluted EPS: reaffirmed at $3.00 to $3.15 [17]
Reuters also summarized management’s framing: expected headwinds from lower COVID product revenue and loss of exclusivity impacts, alongside ongoing cost actions and pipeline investment. [18]
Why this matters into the next session: When a stock is trading near multi-year lows with a high dividend yield, the market tends to treat one-off headlines through the lens of:
- “Does this change the multi-year earnings power?”
- “Does it threaten a key growth platform?”
- “Does it complicate the cost-and-growth story management just sold to investors?”
Dividend Watch: The Next Key Dates Shareholders Track
Pfizer declared a $0.43 first-quarter 2026 dividend payable March 6, 2026, to shareholders of record as of January 23, 2026—continuing its long-running quarterly dividend streak. [19]
Dividend support often matters for PFE sentiment because it attracts income-focused holders—but it also amplifies attention on cash flow durability and the pace of post‑COVID revenue stabilization.
What to Know Before the Market Opens Dec. 24, 2025: A Shortened Session and a Headline-Driven Setup
1) Dec. 24 is an early-close day in U.S. equities
U.S. markets are scheduled to close early at 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 24, 2025 (Christmas Eve). [20]
That tends to mean:
- Lower liquidity
- Wider spreads
- Faster moves on incremental news, especially for single-name catalysts
2) The “next headline” risk is real for Hympavzi
Before the opening bell, traders will look for:
- Any follow-up statement from Pfizer clarifying circumstances (patient history, concomitant meds, perioperative protocol updates)
- Any indication of trial changes (paused enrollment, amended surgical guidance, added monitoring)
- Any regulatory communication that elevates the issue beyond a one-off adverse event
3) Key price levels traders are watching
With PFE closing at $24.88 and hovering near $24.92 after-hours, the near-term focus often becomes:
- Whether shares can reclaim the $25 handle decisively
- Whether the stock holds above the recent low-$24 area (today’s intraday low was about $24.84)
- How quickly volume returns (or doesn’t) in a holiday session
4) Context investors shouldn’t ignore
Even if tomorrow’s tape is calm, Pfizer remains in a market environment where:
- Pipeline wins and setbacks can matter disproportionately (because investors are looking for credible “next growth engines”)
- Guidance credibility is under the microscope after the December outlook
- Competition across major therapeutic categories (oncology, vaccines, obesity, rare disease) keeps pressure on narratives and multiples
Bottom line: Pfizer stock finished December 23 lower but held steady after hours, with the market weighing a serious trial-safety headline against a broader, longer-running debate about Pfizer’s post‑COVID earnings trajectory. Into the December 24 open—on a shortened, lower-liquidity trading day—PFE is set up to trade primarily on whether additional Hympavzi details emerge and how investors frame that risk relative to Pfizer’s broader 2026 outlook.
References
1. finance.yahoo.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. www.marketwatch.com, 4. www.marketwatch.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. www.investing.com, 9. www.investing.com, 10. www.reuters.com, 11. www.investing.com, 12. www.marketbeat.com, 13. www.tipranks.com, 14. www.marketwatch.com, 15. capital.com, 16. www.marketbeat.com, 17. www.pfizer.com, 18. www.reuters.com, 19. www.pfizer.com, 20. www.nasdaqtrader.com
