Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• MarketBeat's consensus rating for Pfizer is "Hold" from 24 analysts (3 sell, 14 hold, 6 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month target of $28.48.
• Recent positive catalysts include a $0.43 Q2 2026 dividend — the 350th consecutive quarterly dividend — an FDA Priority Review for PADCEV + Keytruda, and pre‑orders for Pfizer's GLP‑1 weight‑management drug in China.
• Pfizer beat quarterly estimates (EPS $0.66 vs $0.57; revenue $17.56B vs $16.93B) and trades near $26.78 with a market cap of $152.3B and a P/E of 19.7, although shares were down about 1.9% on the day.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twenty-four analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $28.4762.

A number of analysts have issued reports on PFE shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus upgraded shares of Pfizer from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Pfizer from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Pfizer in a report on Thursday, February 19th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock.

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Pfizer by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 541,346,182 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $13,479,520,000 after acquiring an additional 7,031,162 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 300,445,164 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,481,085,000 after buying an additional 1,357,756 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased 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 worth $3,235,642,000 after buying an additional 1,184,728 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 19.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 89,113,604 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $2,218,929,000 after buying an additional 14,342,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 4th quarter worth about $1,830,986,000. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pfizer News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a $0.43 Q2 2026 dividend (payable June 12; record May 8) — the 350th consecutive quarterly dividend, supporting income-focused investors and signaling cash-flow confidence. Pfizer Declares Second-Quarter 2026 Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: FDA granted Priority Review for PADCEV + Keytruda in muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — approval would expand a high‑value oncology indication and materially improve Pfizer’s oncology revenue mix if approved. PADCEV Priority Review
• Positive Sentiment: Company to present extensive oncology data at ASCO (multiple late‑breaking and oral presentations) — positive readthroughs could improve growth expectations for Pfizer’s cancer pipeline. Pfizer ASCO Presentations
• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer’s GLP‑1 weight‑management drug is available for pre‑order in China — early commercial activity in a large obesity market could add a new growth stream. GLP-1 Pre-order in China
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary highlight Pfizer’s cost cuts and recurring earnings‑beat track record, suggesting upside risk into the next report but leaving forecasts mixed. Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reports list Pfizer among key players in the growing drug‑delivery devices market — strategic relevance but not an immediate revenue catalyst. Drug Delivery Devices Market
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada assigned an Underperform rating — analyst downgrades can pressure shares and reduce near‑term investor appetite. RBC Underperform Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Top strategy executive departing — leadership turnover can spark uncertainty about execution of strategic initiatives. Strategy Executive Leaving
• Negative Sentiment: Shares slid while broader markets gained, suggesting sector rotation, profit‑taking after recent gains, or reaction to the analyst/exec items described above. Stock Sinks As Market Gains

Pfizer Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of PFE stock opened at $26.78 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $152.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69 and a beta of 0.43. Pfizer has a one year low of $21.97 and a one year high of $28.75. The company's fifty day moving average price is $27.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $17.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.93 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 12.42% and a return on equity of 20.48%. The company's revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Pfizer will post 2.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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