Prediction: Buying Pfizer Stock Today Could Set You Up for Life

By Reuben Gregg Brewer – Mar 29, 2026 at 8:15PM ESTKey PointsPfizer has a proven track record of success in the pharmaceutical sector.Management has shown, once again, that it can pivot quickly when needed.Pfizer (PFE 1.87%) investors got some very bad news when the company was forced to abandon its internally developed GLP-1 weight loss drug in April, 2025. With patent expirations on the horizon, falling even further behind competitors like Novo Nordisk (NVO 1.07%) and Eli Lilly (LLY 2.12%) in an emerging new drug niche was a bad look. However, what happened next is what's really important. Pfizer quickly changes course in the GLP-1 space GLP-1 drugs have seen strong consumer demand. Eli Lilly's industry-leading GLP-1 drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, for example, saw revenue growth of 99% and 175%, respectively, in 2025. The flameout of Pfizer's internally generated GLP-1 candidate was a major setback. Image source: Getty Images. In fact, Pfizer hasn't exactly been hitting out of the park for a while. Its COVID vaccine success is well in the past, and it has notable patent expirations coming up over the next couple of years. The stock is down around 50% from its 2021 highs. That said, Pfizer didn't give up on the GLP-1 niche. It quickly shifted gears, buying a company with a promising GLP-1 candidate. The deal closed in November, 2025, less than a year after Pfizer announced its own weight loss drug had been dropped. That's a pretty quick pivot. Pfizer is still an industry giant What's interesting here is that, despite a massive decline in value, Pfizer still has a market cap of $150 billion. It is a well-respected industry giant navigating the normal ebbs and flows of the pharmaceutical industry. Innovation is vital, but it doesn't come in a smooth line. And, sometimes, a company's plans don't work out as well as hoped. ExpandNYSE: PFEPfizerToday's Change(-1.87%) $-0.52Current Price$27.05Key Data PointsMarket Cap$154BDay's Range$27.02 - $27.7752wk Range$20.91 - $27.94Volume1MAvg Vol45MGross Margin66.23%Dividend Yield6.36% It is what happens during the hard times that defines a drug company. In February 2026, less than a year after its own drug was dropped, Pfizer announced that the long-acting GLP-1 drug it is now working on was progressing as hoped. That's the sign that Pfizer hasn't suddenly lost its way. It is still the industry-leading drugmaker it was back when COVID vaccines were driving the stock higher. Long-term investors should consider Pfizer Pfizer's dividend yield is a lofty 6.2%, largely because its payout ratio is over 100%.​​ Conservative dividend investors may want to tread with caution. However, management has stated its intention to maintain the dividend. All in, if you think in decades, this out-of-favor drug stock is still an industry leader. It could easily help set you up for life and, likely, for a lifetime of dividends.Read NextMar 25, 2026 •By Prosper Junior BakinyIs Pfizer Stock a Buy After This Win?Mar 23, 2026 •By David Jagielski, CPAPfizer Stock Is Doing Something It Hasn't Done Since 2022Mar 19, 2026 •By Prosper Junior BakinyPfizer vs Moderna: Which Pharma Stock Has More Upside?Mar 18, 2026 •By Matt DiLalloRecession-Proof Stocks: Industries That Thrive During RecessionsMar 18, 2026 •By Prosper Junior BakinyThe Best Healthcare Stocks to Buy With $50 Right NowMar 17, 2026 •By Adria CiminoShould You Avoid Pfizer? Here's the Key Risk to WatchAbout the AuthorReuben Gregg Brewer is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering energy, utilities, REITs, and consumer staples. He is the former director of research at Value Line Publishing, where he rose from mutual fund analyst to equity analyst before leading all research operations. Reuben holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Purchase, a master’s in social work from Columbia University, and an MBA from Regis University. He has been featured as a financial expert on CNBC and in the Financial Times, Barron’s, and InvestmentNews.TMFReubenGBrewerStocks MentionedPfizerNYSE: PFE$27.06(-1.87%)-$0.52Eli LillyNYSE: LLY$878.02(-2.12%)-$18.98*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.