Pfizer Inc. (PFE), founded in 1849 and headquartered in New York City, is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies dedicated to developing and delivering innovative medicines and vaccines. With a market cap of $151.6 billion, Pfizer serves millions of patients globally, addressing a wide range of therapeutic areas and advancing healthcare through cutting-edge research and development.
Shares of Pfizer have significantly underperformed the broader market over the past 52 weeks. PFE stock has dropped 3.1% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 22.6%. In 2025, shares of PFE gained marginally, compared to SPX's 2.7% gain on a YTD basis.
Zooming in, PFE has also lagged behind the SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF’s (XPH) 7.9% returns over the past 52 weeks and a 6.7% YTD gain.
Pfizer is underperforming the broader index and its peers due to declining COVID-19 product sales, pricing pressures, and increased competition in key markets. Additionally, concerns over patent expirations, regulatory uncertainties, and slower-than-expected growth in new drug launches have weighed on investor sentiment.
On Oct. 29, Pfizer's stock declined 1.4% following its Q3 earnings report. The company posted an adjusted EPS of $1.06, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.78. Revenue surged 31% year over year to $17.7 billion, surpassing the consensus estimate of $15.19 billion. Additionally, Pfizer raised its full-year 2024 revenue guidance to a range of $61.0 to $64.0 billion and increased its adjusted diluted EPS forecast to a range of $2.75 to $2.95.
For the current fiscal year, which ended in December, analysts expect PFE's EPS to grow 59.8% year-over-year to $2.94. The company's earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in all of the last four quarters.
Among the 24 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on 11 “Strong Buy” ratings, 12 “Holds,” and one “Strong Sell.”
The configuration has been almost stable over the past months.
On Jan. 28, Citigroup Inc (C) analyst Geoff Meacham reduced Pfizer's price target from $30 to $29 while maintaining a “Neutral” rating on the stock.
The mean price target of $31.29 represents a premium of just 17.5% to PFE's current levels. The Street-high price target of $45 implies a potential upside of 69% from the current price levels.
On the date of publication, Rashmi Kumari did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.More news from Barchart
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
