Erste Group Bank Has Negative View of Pfizer FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank lowered Pfizer’s FY2026 EPS estimate slightly to $2.96 from $2.97, compared with the $2.94 analyst consensus and Pfizer’s guidance range of $2.80–$3.00.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with five Buy, fourteen Hold and two Sell ratings; the stock has a consensus target price of $28.72.
• Pfizer reported quarterly EPS of $0.77, exceeding the $0.68 consensus, while revenue rose 2.6% year over year to $15.03 billion. The company’s $0.43 quarterly dividend implies a 5.7% yield.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank cut their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Pfizer in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, October 21st. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings of $2.96 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $2.97. The consensus estimate for Pfizer's current full-year earnings is $2.94 per share.

PFE has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $26.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Pfizer from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Pfizer from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $28.72.

Pfizer Stock Performance

Pfizer stock opened at $30.04 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Pfizer has a 12-month low of $23.62 and a 12-month high of $30.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $171.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.32.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.09. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.63% and a net margin of 6.80%. The company had revenue of $15.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 5.6% during the third quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 338,410 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $9,651,000 after buying an additional 18,032 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone National Bank & Trust Co boosted its stake in Pfizer by 37.7% in the third quarter. Cornerstone National Bank & Trust Co now owns 2,065 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its stake in Pfizer by 22.9% in the third quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 22,666 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $646,000 after acquiring an additional 4,229 shares during the last quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in Pfizer by 2.1% in the third quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC now owns 49,253 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $1,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,006 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Pictet & Cie SA acquired a new stake in Pfizer during the 3rd quarter worth $252,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 7th. Investors of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 6th. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 226.32%.

Trending Headlines about Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer completed a Phase 1 study of PF-07999415, providing an early development milestone and potentially adding value to its pipeline. The update does not yet establish efficacy or commercial potential, but it offers investors another clinical program to monitor. Pfizer PF-07999415 Phase 1 update
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer signed a research and licensing agreement with Enodia Therapeutics focused on Sec61 inhibitors. The deal gives Pfizer rights to discover, develop and potentially commercialize candidates from Enodia’s platform, supporting efforts to replenish its drug pipeline through external innovation. Pfizer Enodia Sec61 collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: A Swedish real-world study of Pfizer’s Ibrance is supplying additional evidence about the product’s use in clinical practice. The update may help support the franchise, but the available report does not indicate a material change to revenue expectations. Pfizer Swedish Ibrance study
• Neutral Sentiment: Pfizer’s roughly 5.7% dividend yield remains attractive to income investors, but comparisons with Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck emphasize that the high payout may reflect concerns about earnings consistency and dividend coverage. Pfizer dividend comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Pfizer is being pulled into a broader selloff involving Moderna and Merck after investors reacted negatively to melanoma-vaccine results that were positive but apparently below elevated expectations. The episode is weighing on sentiment across pharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks, even though Pfizer is not the developer of Moderna’s vaccine. Biotech selloff affecting Pfizer
• Negative Sentiment: Higher interest rates can make Pfizer’s high-yield dividend less competitive relative to bonds and increase pressure on valuation, particularly while the company works through uneven revenue trends and post-pandemic portfolio changes. Interest rates and Pfizer dividend stocks

Pfizer Company Profile

Pfizer Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines and vaccines. Its research activities span areas including oncology, internal medicine, inflammation and immunology, hospital care, infectious diseases and rare diseases.

The company's portfolio includes medicines such as Eliquis, Ibrance, Prevnar and Vyndaqel, as well as vaccines including Comirnaty, Abrysvo and Prevnar. Pfizer also develops treatments through internal research, licensing agreements and collaborations with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1849 by Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart, Pfizer has grown into an international healthcare company serving patients and healthcare providers in markets around the world.

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