How to buy Pfizer (PFE) shares in the UK

Global stock markets soared in response to the news that American pharmaceuticals company Pfizer (PFE) has developed a vaccine, tested on 43,500 people, which it claims is 90% effective.

On the day of the announcement, Pfizer's share price rose 15%, before falling back and closing 7% up on the previous day. Other industries reacted positively to the news, with global economic hopes seemingly pinned on the vaccine.

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Fees for buying 10x Pfizer shares with popular platforms

Both exchange rates and share prices fluctuate in real time, so the costs presented here should be considered as a guide only. They do not incorporate stamp duty. Always refer to the platform itself for availability and pricing – which may differ from our information.

Platform	Platform fee	Min. initial deposit	Trading fee estimate
	£0	$10	£2.06 £415.06 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£1	£1.86 £414.85 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	No minimum	£4.13 £417.12 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£250	£10.24 £423.24 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£1	£16.08 £429.07 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£0.01	£0.41 £413.41 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£9.99 per month	No minimum	£14.18 £427.18 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£0	£50	£2.06 £415.06 total	Go to site Capital at risk
	£36 per year	£20	£14.66 £427.66 total	Read review Capital at risk

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Pfizer share price (NYSE:PFE)

Is it a good time to buy Pfizer stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

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Is Pfizer under- or over-valued?

Valuing a stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge value.

P/E ratio

Pfizer's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 11x. In other words, Pfizer shares trade at around 11x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

However, Pfizer's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the drug manufacturers-general industry or those of similar companies.

• Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 16.35
• Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 22.84
• Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 23.80
• IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 38.44
• GSK (GSK.LSE): 1,702.57

PEG ratio

Pfizer's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 1.1729. A PEG ratio close to 1 can be interpreted as meaning shares offer reasonable value for the current rate of growth.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Pfizer's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

However, it's sensible to consider Pfizer's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.

• Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 0.50
• Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 3.33
• Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 6.37
• IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 4.63
• GSK (GSK.LSE): 1.78
• AstraZeneca (AZN.LSE): 1.37

EBITDA

Pfizer's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping $37.1 billion (£30.2 billion).

The EBITDA is a measure of a Pfizer's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

To put that into context you can compare it against similar companies.

• Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): USD$13.2 billion
• Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): USD$32.4 billion
• Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): USD$13.5 billion
• IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): USD$1 billion
• GSK (GSK.LSE): £10.8 billion
• AstraZeneca (AZN.LSE): £10.7 billion

Environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Pfizer.

Total ESG risk score

Pfizer's total ESG risk: 33.15

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Pfizer's overall score of 33.15 (as at 01/01/2019) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 60th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Pfizer is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

To gain some more context, you can compare Pfizer's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.

• Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 22.15
• Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 35.80
• Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 32.35
• IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 29.79
• GSK (GSK.LSE): 28.51
• AstraZeneca (AZN.LSE): 28.52

Environmental score

Pfizer's environmental score: 7/100

Pfizer's environmental score of 7 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Pfizer is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Social score

Pfizer's social score: 18.47/100

Pfizer's social score of 18.47 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Pfizer is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Governance score

Pfizer's governance score: 13.68/100

Pfizer's governance score puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Pfizer is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Controversy score

Pfizer's controversy score: 3/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. A high-profile company, Pfizer scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Pfizer hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.

Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.

• Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 2
• Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 4
• Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 3
• GSK (GSK.LSE): 3
• AstraZeneca (AZN.LSE): 3

Do Pfizer shares pay dividends?

• Dividend yield
• Forward yield
• Payout ratio

Pfizer has recently paid out dividends equivalent to 3.44% of its share value annually.

Pfizer has paid out, on average, around 30.62% of recent net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 3.44% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), shareholders could enjoy a 3.44% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Pfizer's case, that would currently equate to about $1.57 per share.

While Pfizer's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that it may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.

Pfizer's most recent dividend payout was on 10 June 2022. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 12 May 2022 (the "ex-dividend date").

Pfizer's dividend yield is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.

• Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 4.99% (4.99% forward annual dividend yield)
• Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 2.67% (2.67% forward annual dividend yield)
• Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 1.83% (1.83% forward annual dividend yield)
• IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
• GSK (GSK.LSE): 4.40% (4.4% forward annual dividend yield)
• AstraZeneca (AZN.LSE): 2.07% (2.07% forward annual dividend yield)

Share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Pfizer's shares have ranged in value from as little as $37.5429 up to $60.749. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while Pfizer's is 0.7083. This would suggest that Pfizer's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

To put Pfizer's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.

• Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 0.3798
• Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 0.6583
• Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 0.721
• IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 1.1148
• GSK (GSK.LSE): 0.2893
• AstraZeneca (AZN.LSE): 0.1224

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of Pfizer is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 0.042% of Pfizer shares are held by insiders and 69.125% by institutions.

• How many people work for Pfizer?

  Latest data suggests 79,000 work at Pfizer.

• When does the fiscal year end for Pfizer?

  Pfizer's fiscal year ends in December.

• Where is Pfizer based?

  Pfizer's address is: 235 East 42nd Street, New York, NY, United States, 10017

• What is Pfizer's ISIN number?

  Pfizer's international securities identification number is: US7170811035

• What is Pfizer's CUSIP number?

  Pfizer's Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures number is: 717081103

• What is the key financial information for Pfizer?

  Financials

  Revenue TTM	$92.4 billion
  Operating margin TTM	34.66%
  Gross profit TTM	$50.6 billion
  Return on assets TTM	11.69%
  Return on equity TTM	33.59%
  Profit margin	27.01%
  Book value	$14.742
  Market capitalisation	$261.1 billion

  TTM: trailing 12 months