Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a cautious outlook: Twenty-one brokerages give Pfizer an average “Hold” rating, with 14 holds, four buys, two sells and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $28.50 versus a recent share price of $25.10.
• Pipeline and vaccine developments provide potential upside, including positive Phase 3 vitiligo data and European approval of Pfizer and BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 vaccine. However, concerns remain about post-pandemic revenue declines, pipeline execution and intense competition in obesity treatments.
• Pfizer offers a high-income profile but faces near-term scrutiny: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, representing a 6.9% annualized yield, while investors await second-quarter results and full-year guidance. Institutional investors own 68.36% of the stock, and Pfizer’s latest quarter exceeded earnings and revenue expectations.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $28.50.

PFE has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $27.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Pfizer from $34.00 to $30.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Pfizer from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $25.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Pfizer from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th.

Key Pfizer News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 vitiligo data: Pfizer reported that oral LITFULO significantly improved skin repigmentation in two late-stage trials for nonsegmental vitiligo. The results support planned regulatory filings and could create a new growth opportunity for the company. Reuters LITFULO vitiligo trial article
• Positive Sentiment: Updated COVID vaccine approved in Europe: The European Commission authorized Pfizer and BioNTech’s XFG-adapted vaccine for the 2026–2027 season across the European Union. The approval enables production and advance supply, although seasonal COVID demand remains difficult to forecast. EU approval article
• Positive Sentiment: Value appeal and estimates: Investor commentary highlights Pfizer’s roughly 6.8% dividend yield and inexpensive earnings valuation, while Erste Group reportedly raised its FY2027 EPS estimate. These factors may attract income and value-focused investors. Pfizer valuation article
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings focus: Analysts are watching Pfizer’s second-quarter revenue, adjusted earnings, product sales and full-year outlook. The available reports are previews rather than an announcement of actual quarterly results, so earnings remain a near-term catalyst. Pfizer Q2 earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Growth concerns remain: Pfizer’s valuation reflects investor skepticism about post-pandemic revenue, a comparatively modest growth profile and execution risks surrounding its pipeline. Its obesity-drug candidate is promising but still late-stage and faces powerful competition from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, limiting any immediate earnings benefit. Pfizer earnings preview and valuation article

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 541,346,182 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $13,479,520,000 after purchasing an additional 7,031,162 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 300,445,164 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,481,085,000 after acquiring an additional 1,357,756 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 130,192,081 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $3,235,642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,184,728 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Pfizer by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 89,113,604 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $2,218,929,000 after acquiring an additional 14,342,946 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Pfizer in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,830,986,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pfizer Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of PFE opened at $25.10 on Friday. Pfizer has a twelve month low of $23.11 and a twelve month high of $28.75. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $143.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's 50-day moving average is $25.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.15.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.84 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 19.44% and a net margin of 11.83%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Pfizer will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Pfizer's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.

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