Charles J. Laurent
Shares of Pfizer Inc. gained 0.7% early Tuesday after the drugmaker surpassed analysts' earnings expectations for the fourth quarter of 2023 and maintained its full-year 2024 guidance.
Pfizer reported a net loss of $3.37 billion, or 60 cents a share, for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to a net income of $4.995 billion, or 87 cents a share, in the same period of the previous year. Adjusted earnings per share exceeded expectations at 10 cents, beating the FactSet consensus of an 18 cent loss per share.
Total revenues for the quarter were $14.249 billion, a 41% decline from the previous year, falling slightly below the FactSet consensus of $14.369 billion. Pfizer attributed most of this decline to the anticipated drop in COVID-related product revenues.
Looking back at 2023, it was undoubtedly a challenging year for Pfizer. The company was compelled to significantly reduce its full-year sales outlook due to diminishing demand for its COVID products. Additionally, Pfizer faced setbacks in its pipeline when it decided to discontinue the development of an experimental oral obesity drug due to high rates of side effects.
Pfizer's CEO, Albert Bourla, expressed his desire for a "clean slate" as the company enters 2024, aiming to address uncertainties surrounding COVID-related demand and writing off excess inventory. Moreover, Pfizer has set a goal to reduce costs by at least $4 billion by the end of this year, with approximately 70% of these savings expected to come from research and development.
In a recent report, analysts are predicting that Pfizer is on track to surpass its period of off-base guidance by setting conservative expectations for 2024.
On a positive note, Pfizer's newly introduced vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, Abrysvo, achieved $515 million in sales during the same quarter. The company aims to capture a higher market share in RSV treatment and has plans to address this issue.
Additionally, Pfizer has made a significant investment of $43 billion in acquiring Seagen to expand its portfolio of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). ADCs are a specialized form of cancer treatment designed to deliver chemotherapy agents directly to cancer cells, minimizing harm to healthy cells.
Despite these developments, Pfizer remains confident in its full-year 2024 guidance, which was issued in December. The company expects revenues ranging from $58.5 billion to $61.5 billion, including contributions from Seagen ($3.1 billion), Comirnaty, and Paxlovid ($8 billion combined). Furthermore, Pfizer anticipates adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.05 to $2.25.
While Pfizer shares have declined by 4.5% year-to-date, the S&P 500 SPX has experienced a 3.3% gain.
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