Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Pfizer was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from hold to buy, adding to a mostly mixed analyst backdrop that still leaves the stock with an overall “Hold” consensus rating.
• The company’s recent earnings beat showed $0.75 EPS versus $0.72 expected, and quarterly revenue of $14.45 billion also topped estimates, though earnings were down from the prior year.
• Investor attention is focused on the unexpected CFO departure, but Pfizer reaffirmed its 2026 guidance and quickly named an interim finance chief, signaling operational continuity.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Sunday.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on PFE. Argus raised Pfizer from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $35.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Pfizer from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Pfizer in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pfizer currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $28.82.

Pfizer Price Performance

Pfizer stock opened at $25.25 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $26.22 and a 200-day moving average of $26.33. Pfizer has a 52-week low of $23.11 and a 52-week high of $28.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28 and a beta of 0.34.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. Pfizer had a net margin of 11.83% and a return on equity of 19.44%. The business had revenue of $14.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Pfizer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.800-3.000 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Pfizer will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pfizer

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PFE. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA bought a new position in Pfizer during the 3rd quarter valued at $16,613,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 119.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 3,106,644 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $79,157,000 after buying an additional 1,691,773 shares in the last quarter. Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 50.9% in the fourth quarter. Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. now owns 171,332 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $4,266,000 after buying an additional 57,777 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Pfizer by 48.2% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 18,373,140 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $468,174,000 after buying an additional 5,978,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Pfizer during the third quarter valued at about $81,298,000. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Pfizer

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Pfizer reaffirmed its 2026 guidance and said its strategic outlook remains intact, which should help limit downside if investors focus on fundamentals rather than the management change. Pfizer stock slides following CFO exit, 2026 guidance reaffirmed
• Positive Sentiment: The company moved quickly to appoint an interim finance chief, suggesting Pfizer has a planned transition process in place rather than a broader disruption to operations. Pfizer Announces Chief Financial Officer Transition
• Neutral Sentiment: News coverage also noted that Pfizer’s recent move is part of a broader investor debate about the company’s near-term growth catalysts and pipeline execution, rather than a change to its core business outlook. Reuters coverage of CFO departure
• Negative Sentiment: The biggest overhang is the unexpected departure of the CFO, which can create uncertainty about financial discipline and near-term investor confidence, helping explain why PFE has been declining. Pfizer CFO to leave company for consumer goods role

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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