Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Shares Up 1.1% – Time to Buy?
by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat GemShares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE – Get Free Report) shot up 1.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $25.30 and last traded at $25.1740. 35,917,269 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 44,252,808 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.90.
Pfizer News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:
- Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital reaffirmed an Outperform rating and a $30 price target, citing Pfizer’s cost controls and a cautious-but-manageable 2026 outlook — a clear vote of confidence for investors focused on valuation and income. BMO reaffirmation
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst/publication pieces argue Pfizer is undervalued and that its pipeline plus deal-making (Seagen, recent obesity-related buys) position it to recover over time — supporting a value-oriented rally. See Fool’s take on medium-term upside. 2 Predictions for Pfizer in 2026
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks raised certain near-term quarterly EPS estimates (Q2 2026/Q2 2027), which can help sentiment around upcoming reports and show some upside to consensus in select periods.
- Neutral Sentiment: In-depth pieces (Seeking Alpha, Yahoo Finance) frame 2026 as a “reset” year: higher R&D and acquisition-driven repositioning (notably the Metsera deal) should strengthen Pfizer’s obesity and oncology lineup, but benefits may take time to show. Pfizer 2026: The Reset Year Why Wall Street Gave Up on Pfizer
- Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary reiterates Pfizer’s cheap forward valuation versus peers and highlights that recent M&A (Seagen, Metsera) is beginning to add revenue and late‑stage assets — a longer‑term positive but not immediate earnings relief.
- Negative Sentiment: Pfizer disclosed a death in a long‑term Hympavzi study after a thrombotic stroke — a safety event that could weigh on that program’s outlook and near‑term sentiment. Hympavzi study death
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst estimate trims and management comments point to earnings pressure from the post‑COVID revenue decline and dilution from acquisitions; Zacks trimmed a Q4 EPS estimate — reinforcing near‑term earnings uncertainty.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $24.00 target price on shares of Pfizer and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $28.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. HSBC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Pfizer in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.06.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Pfizer
Pfizer Stock Performance
The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.91. The company has a market capitalization of $143.13 billion, a PE ratio of 14.64 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 0.97.
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $16.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.94 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 15.65%.Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.
Pfizer Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 23rd. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.8%. Pfizer’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer
Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 46.4% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 145,263 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,701,000 after buying an additional 46,043 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Pfizer by 236.1% during the third quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 69,613 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 48,900 shares during the last quarter. Westbourne Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Pfizer during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,411,000. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. raised its holdings in Pfizer by 76.4% in the 3rd quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. now owns 109,269 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,784,000 after acquiring an additional 47,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Pfizer by 90.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. now owns 38,255 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $927,000 after purchasing an additional 18,200 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
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.