Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.800-3.000 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.970. The company issued revenue guidance of $59.5 billion-$62.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $60.9 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America reduced their price target on Pfizer from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Pfizer from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group assumed coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $28.06.

Pfizer Stock Performance

NYSE PFE opened at $25.77 on Wednesday. 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 has a 1-year low of $20.92 and a 1-year high of $27.69. The company has a market cap of $146.53 billion, a PE ratio of 14.98 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.06.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) last posted 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. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 15.65%.The firm had revenue of $17.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer will post 2.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pfizer Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 23rd. Pfizer’s payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Pfizer News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Pfizer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on both EPS and revenue — Pfizer reported $0.66 EPS vs. $0.57 expected and revenue of $17.56B vs. ~$16.9B consensus, showing resilient demand for older drugs like Eliquis that helped offset COVID declines. Reuters: Pfizer beats fourth-quarter profit estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Obesity drug shows promise — Phase 2b data for PF’3944 (MET‑097i) showed up to ~12% weight loss with monthly dosing, supporting Pfizer’s strategy to build an obesity franchise and reduce reliance on COVID sales. BusinessWire: Phase 2b obesity trial results
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reaffirmed 2026 guidance — Pfizer reiterated its modest outlook (under $3 EPS) and reiterated strategic shift post‑Covid; that reduces uncertainty about management’s targets but signals limited near‑term upside. BusinessWire: Press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance mixed — some firms (e.g., Goldman Sachs) maintain neutral ratings citing margin pressure and patent risks, keeping expectations tempered. InsiderMonkey: Goldman Sachs note
• Negative Sentiment: Profit and revenue headwinds flagged — management flagged an expected profit decline and analysts note a ~$1.5B near‑term hit from patent cliffs and lower COVID product demand, weighing on valuation. Seeking Alpha: revenue decline / patent cliff note
• Negative Sentiment: Safety and differentiation questions around the obesity drug — some coverage raised questions about side effects and whether monthly dosing will compete with established weekly GLP‑1 drugs (e.g., Lilly’s Zepbound), muting investor enthusiasm. MSN: safety questions
• Negative Sentiment: Vaccines and Covid sales continue to drag — ongoing declines in Covid vaccine/antiviral revenue are pressuring top‑line growth despite gains elsewhere. FT: vaccines weigh on sales

Institutional Trading of Pfizer

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 299,087,408 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $7,620,747,000 after buying an additional 2,786,098 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Pfizer by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 64,019,807 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,631,225,000 after acquiring an additional 869,175 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in Pfizer by 10.8% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 41,490,929 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,096,380,000 after purchasing an additional 4,043,413 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 3.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 30,335,842 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $772,957,000 after purchasing an additional 1,085,701 shares during the period. Finally, Unisphere Establishment grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 13.8% in the third quarter. Unisphere Establishment now owns 14,400,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $366,912,000 after purchasing an additional 1,750,000 shares in the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Pfizer

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.