Pfizer (PFE) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

In the latest trading session, Pfizer (PFE) closed at $29.75, marking a +0.17% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 1.15% gain on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 2.39%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.45%.

Heading into today, shares of the drugmaker had lost 12.47% over the past month, outpacing the Medical sector's loss of 19.66% and the S&P 500's loss of 24.07% in that time.

PFE will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.70, down 17.65% from the prior-year quarter.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $2.80 per share and revenue of $46.10 billion. These totals would mark changes of -5.08% and -10.93%, respectively, from last year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for PFE. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.87% higher within the past month. PFE is holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) right now.

Investors should also note PFE's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 10.62. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 12.1.

Investors should also note that PFE has a PEG ratio of 2.39 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.59 as of yesterday's close.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 60, putting it in the top 24% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual 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.

Make sure to utilize Zacks. Com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.

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