Earnings Preview: What to Expect From Pfizer’s Report

With a market cap of $155.5 billion, Pfizer Inc. (PFE) is one of the world’s largest biopharmaceutical companies, focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing medicines and vaccines. Headquartered in New York, Pfizer operates globally and plays a central role in addressing major health conditions across oncology, vaccines, immunology, cardiovascular, and rare diseases.

The pharmaceutical giant is expected to announce its fiscal first-quarter earnings for 2026 before the market opens on Sunday, May 5. Ahead of the event, analysts expect PFE to report a profit of $0.74 per share on a diluted basis, down 19.6% from $0.92 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has consistently surpassed Wall Street’s EPS estimates in its last four quarterly reports.

For the current year, analysts expect PFE to report EPS of $2.98, down 7.5% from $3.22 in the prior year. Moreover, its EPS is expected to decline 5.4% year over year to $2.82 in fiscal 2027.

 PFE stock has surged 24.8% over the past year, underperforming the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 28.4% gains. However, it surpassed the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLV) 8.1% returns over the same time frame.

On Mar. 23, Pfizer and Valneva SE reported Phase 3 results for their Lyme disease vaccine candidate showing efficacy of around 73–75% in reducing confirmed cases after the fourth dose. While the primary endpoint was not fully met due to fewer-than-expected cases in the trial, the vaccine demonstrated clinically meaningful protection, and the companies plan to move forward with regulatory submissions, expressing confidence in its potential. Its shares rose marginally in the next trading session. 

Analysts’ consensus opinion on PFE stock is cautious, with a “Hold” rating overall. Out of 28 analysts covering the stock, eight advise a “Strong Buy” rating, one suggests a “Moderate Buy,” 16 give a “Hold,” and three recommend a “Strong Sell.” PFE’s average analyst price target is $29.13, indicating a potential upside of 6.5% from the current price levels.