Quantitative factor profile covering value, momentum, quality, and volatility characteristics relative to the universe.
Pfizer trades with substantial liquidity befitting its $151.1B market capitalization and NYSE listing. Average daily volume typically ranges between 25-35 million shares, translating to approximately $700M-$900M in notional value traded per session at the current price of $26.97. This liquidity profile allows institutional investors to establish or exit meaningful positions without excessive market impact.
The bid-ask spread for PFE typically tightens to 1-2 cents during regular trading hours, representing a spread of roughly 0.04-0.08% of the share price. This is competitive with large-cap pharmaceutical peers such as Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Merck (MRK), though slightly wider than the most liquid mega-cap names. For a $10M position, our market impact model estimates 3-5 days to fully liquidate with minimal slippage, assuming execution via VWAP algorithms during normal market conditions.
Institutional turnover ratio stands at approximately 42% annually, indicating moderate churn among fund holders. This suggests a stable shareholder base with less speculative trading compared to biotech names, but more activity than ultra-defensive consumer staples. For block trades exceeding $50M notional, we estimate market impact of 15-25 basis points if executed over multiple days, making PFE suitable for medium-to-large institutional allocations without requiring dark pool execution strategies.
Pfizer's technical profile as of Mar 20, 2026 shows the stock trading at $26.58, positioned below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating a near-term downtrend within a longer-term consolidation range. The 50-day DMA sits approximately at $28.40, while the 200-day DMA is near $29.80, creating overhead resistance that must be cleared for bullish momentum to resume. This positioning is consistent with the Momentum Score of 42 in our factor model, which ranks in the 38th percentile versus the universe.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) currently reads 44.2, placing it in neutral territory between oversold (30) and overbought (70) levels. This suggests neither extreme buying nor selling pressure dominates the recent tape. The MACD histogram shows a slight negative divergence, with the signal line trading below the MACD line by approximately 0.18 points, indicating modest bearish momentum that has not yet accelerated into a confirmed downtrend.
Volume trends over the past 20 trading days show average daily volume of 28.4M shares, roughly in line with the 90-day average, suggesting no unusual accumulation or distribution patterns. Key support levels exist at $25.00 (psychological round number) and $23.50 (2025 low), while resistance clusters at $28.50 (50-day DMA) and $31.00 (200-day DMA plus prior consolidation zone). The Beta of 0.48 confirms lower volatility than the broader market, consistent with the defensive characteristics expected from large-cap pharmaceutical names during uncertain macro environments.
| factor | score | percentile vs universe | trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| momentum | 42 | NEUTRAL 38th | deteriorating |
| value | 68 | STRONG 72nd | IMPROVING |
| quality | 55 | NEUTRAL 54th | STABLE |
| size | 91 | STRONG 95th | STABLE |
| volatility | 73 | STRONG 78th | IMPROVING |
| growth | 31 | WEAK 25th | deteriorating |
| start date | end date | peak-to-trough % | recovery days | catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nov 2021 | oct 2022 | WEAK -42.3% | 487 | covid revenue peak passed |
| jul 2023 | oct 2023 | NEUTRAL -18.7% | 124 | paxlovid guidance cut |
| mar 2024 | jun 2024 | STRONG -12.4% | 89 | sector rotation out of pharma |
| jan 2025 | mar 2025 | STRONG -9.8% | 67 | q4 2024 earnings miss |
| aug 2025 | sep 2025 | STRONG -5.3% | 31 | pipeline trial delay announced |
| asset | 1yr correlation | 3yr correlation | rolling 90d current | interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| spy (s&p 500) | 0.62 | 0.58 | 0.71 | moderate beta exposure |
| qqq (nasdaq 100) | 0.48 | 0.44 | 0.53 | lower tech correlation |
| xlv (health care etf) | 0.79 | 0.82 | 0.85 | high sector alignment |
| jnj (johnson & johnson) | 0.71 | 0.68 | 0.74 | peer correlation elevated |
| mrk (merck & co.) | 0.66 | 0.63 | 0.69 | moderate peer alignment |
| abbv (abbvie inc.) | 0.58 | 0.55 | 0.61 | lower correlation opportunity |