Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Pfizer’s Stock Will Climb or Sink?

New York-based Pfizer Inc. (PFE) is a global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes medicines and vaccines across oncology, cardiovascular disease, immunology, and infectious diseases. Its major products include Eliquis, Prevnar, Paxlovid, and the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine. PFE currently has a market cap of $167.9 billion.

Shares of this pharmaceutical giant have outperformed the broader market over the past year. PFE has gained 23.3% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 12%. Moreover, over the past six months, PFE stock is up 14.1%, surpassing SPX’s 8.2% rise on a YTD basis. 

Narrowing the focus, PFE has trailed the Invesco Pharmaceuticals ETF (PJP), which has gained about 35.7% over the past year and 24.9% over the past six months

Pfizer scored a potential win for its oncology pipeline on Oct. 27, reporting that its Phase 3 MagnetisMM-32 trial of ELREXFIO met its primary endpoint in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The treatment significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death compared with established therapies, with more than 75% of patients remaining progression-free at the interim analysis. The results could strengthen ELREXFIO’s growth prospects as Pfizer seeks to expand its cancer-treatment portfolio.

Beyond drug development, Pfizer continues to deliver consistent shareholder returns. Pfizer announced a fourth-quarter 2026 dividend of $0.43 per share on Oct. 6, payable on Dec. 7 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 6. The payout marks the pharmaceutical giant’s 352nd consecutive quarterly dividend, underscoring its longstanding commitment to returning capital to shareholders while aiming to maintain and grow its dividend over the longer term.

For fiscal 2026, ending in December, analysts expect PFE’s EPS to decline 8.7% to $2.94 on a diluted basis. The company’s earnings surprise history is impressive. It beat the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters.

Among the 28 analysts covering PFE stock, the consensus is a “Hold.” That’s based on eight “Strong Buy” ratings, one “Moderate Buy,” 17 “Holds,” and two “Strong Sells.”

On Oct. 13, Guggenheim reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and $31 price target on Pfizer ahead of its third-quarter 2026 earnings report, forecasting revenue of $16.16 billion and EPS of $0.77, above consensus estimates of $15.9 billion and $0.75, respectively. 

The stock currently trades above the mean price target of $29.45, and the Street-high price target of $36 suggests an ambitious upside potential of 20.2%. 

On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not directly have a position 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.