New York, July 3, 2026, 12:05 EDT
- NYSE cash equity markets are closed Friday for the observed 2026 Independence Day holiday.
- Pfizer finished at $24.32, gaining 1.84%. Volume was 134% of the 65-day average.
- The stock’s yield is 7.07%, but shares are down 14.12% over the past three months and options demand for downside protection stayed firm.
Pfizer Inc. NYSE:PFE heads into the long U.S. holiday weekend trailing the broad Big Pharma bounce this week. Shares added 1.84% to close at $24.32 on Thursday. The S&P 500 Index held nearly flat at 7,483.24, while the Dow climbed 1.14% to 52,900.07. NYSE trading is shut Friday with July 3 on the exchange’s holiday calendar as the 2026 Independence Day observed.
Pfizer traded on heavier volume last week, with 53.14 million shares changing hands, or 134% of its 65-day average. Shares are still off 6.61% for the month and down 14.12% over three months. The stock is hovering near the bottom of its 52-week range of $23.11 to $28.75.
| Pfizer trading snapshot | Latest data |
|---|---|
| Last price at close | $24.32 |
| Thursday move | up 1.84% |
| After-hours trade | $24.35, up 0.12% |
| Shares traded | 53.14 mln |
| Volume vs. 65-day average | 134% |
| Past year range | $23.11-$28.75 |
| Change over 5 days | up 0.12% |
| 3 months | down 14.12% |
The main data gap is between income numbers and the stock move. Pfizer’s annual dividend pays $1.72, or a 7.07% yield at the last close. That dividend is about 57% to 61% of Pfizer’s adjusted 2026 EPS forecast of $2.80 to $3.00. On MarketWatch’s trailing EPS of $1.30, the payout jumps to 132%. That difference stands out, since the stock is moving more on belief in 2026 adjusted earnings than on the GAAP numbers from the past year.
| Income and valuation math | Figure |
|---|---|
| Annual payout | $1.72 |
| Yield now | 7.07% |
| Payout as % of trailing EPS | ~132% |
| Payout as % of 2026 adjusted EPS target | ~57%-61% |
| Price to 2026 adjusted EPS outlook | ~8.1x-8.7x |
| MarketWatch ex-dividend date | July 24, 2026 |
Peer tapes traded firmer. Johnson & Johnson NYSE:JNJ, Abbott Laboratories NYSE:ABT, Merck & Co. NYSE:MRK and Bristol Myers Squibb Co. NYSE:BMY all outpaced Pfizer’s move on Thursday. Eli Lilly and Co. NYSE:LLY was the only major U.S. drug stock in the group trading about flat with Pfizer.
| Thursday move | Change |
|---|---|
| Pfizer NYSE:PFE | up 1.84% |
| Johnson & Johnson NYSE:JNJ | added 3.57% |
| Eli Lilly NYSE:LLY | rose 1.86% |
| Abbott NYSE:ABT | gained 3.49% |
| Merck NYSE:MRK | up 3.34% |
| Bristol Myers NYSE:BMY | climbed 4.16% |
| Five-peer average | 3.28% higher |
Options trading on Pfizer didn’t offer an easy buy signal. According to TheFly via TipRanks, around 64,000 contracts changed hands, with call volume outpacing puts, putting the put/call ratio at 0.23 compared to the usual 0.57. Still, the report noted a steeper put-call skew, pointing to more traders looking for downside cover. Implied volatility for Pfizer’s 30-day options sat near 20.21, which lands in the bottom quarter of its one-year range. Expected daily move was $0.31.
Pfizer’s last full earnings gave bulls room to stay in. The drugmaker posted Q1 revenue of $14.5 billion, up 2% operationally, with adjusted diluted EPS at $0.75. Pfizer stuck to its 2026 adjusted EPS target of $2.80 to $3.00 and held its revenue outlook at $59.5 billion to $62.5 billion.
Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla said in the May statement, “We’re off to a strong start in 2026,” pointing to oncology and obesity as segments where he sees the company set up to lead. CFO David Denton said quarterly operational revenue from launched and acquired products grew 22% from a year ago. Q4 Capital
IBRANCE is the most significant recent pipeline update. Pfizer said the U.S. FDA signed off June 24 on an IBRANCE regimen for frontline maintenance in HR-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. The nod followed the PATINA study, which reported a 24% drop in risk of progression or death. Aamir Malik, Pfizer’s chief U.S. commercial officer, said IBRANCE is now the only CDK4/6 inhibitor cleared for HR-positive metastatic breast cancer no matter the patient’s HER2 status.
Markets open this week after the holiday. Next up for Pfizer is July 24, which MarketWatch lists as the ex-dividend date and Pfizer calls its record date for the quarterly payout. The $0.43 dividend is due Sept. 1. Pfizer also put its Q2 analyst call on the calendar for Aug. 4, set for 10:00 a.m. EDT.
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