Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Pfizer (PFE) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

In the latest trading session, Pfizer (PFE - Free Report) closed at $43.10, marking a +1.01% move from the previous day. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.2% loss on the day. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.17%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.38%.

Heading into today, shares of the drugmaker had gained 4.94% over the past month, outpacing the Medical sector's gain of 1.65% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.33% in that time.

PFE will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect PFE to post earnings of $0.78 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 3.7%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $13.42 billion, down 0.31% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $2.89 per share and revenue of $52.86 billion. These totals would mark changes of -3.67% and -1.46%, respectively, from last year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for PFE. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.17% higher. PFE is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that PFE has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.77 right now. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 14.49, so we one might conclude that PFE is trading at a premium comparatively.

It is also worth noting that PFE currently has a PEG ratio of 2.46. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. PFE's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.09 as of yesterday's close.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 30, which puts it in the top 12% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Pfizer Inc. (PFE) - free report >>

Published in