PCVX vs. PFE: Vaxcyte vs. Pfizer Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but PCVX is classified in Biotechnology while PFE is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

Pfizer (PFE) has more than two decades of public-market history since June 1, 1972, whereas Vaxcyte (PCVX) listed on June 12, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Profile Item	PCVX	PFE
Name	Vaxcyte Inc.	Pfizer Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Biotechnology	Pharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-Industry	Biotechnology	Pharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization	10.11 billion USD	167.52 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 12, 2020	June 1, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PCVX

PFE

GSPC

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	PCVX	PFE
Total Return (1Y)	59.00%	28.65%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	11.29%	6.41%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	21.60%	-3.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PCVX

PFE

GSPC

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	PCVX	PFE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	56.01%	21.72%
Beta (5Y)	1.26	0.35
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-76.22%	-58.96%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.12M	33.67M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PCVX and PFE are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	PCVX	PFE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.98	1.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.76	1.73

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Vaxcyte (PCVX) reports a negative ROE of -42.68%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Pfizer (PFE) reports 4.47%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

-42.68%

Max: 109.18%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
PCVX: -42.68%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.47%

Max: 109.18%
Q3: 6.23%
PFE: 4.47%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 6.34% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 0.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

Max: 18.05%
Q3: 4.78%
PCVX: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.34%

Max: 18.05%
PFE: 6.34%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 33.38% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 0.00%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

Max: 83.12%
Q3: 14.77%
PCVX: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

33.38%

Max: 83.12%
PFE: 33.38%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	PCVX	PFE
ROE (TTM)	-42.68%	4.47%
ROA (TTM)	-24.98%	5.59%
Net Margin (TTM)	0.00%	6.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)	0.00%	33.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)	0.00%	74.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Only one side can be read here: Pfizer (PFE) reports revenue growth of -1.65%, ranked against its industry; Vaxcyte (PCVX) has no revenue growth figure this period.

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Pfizer (PFE) reports EPS growth of -3.55%, ranked against its industry; Vaxcyte (PCVX) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	PCVX	PFE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	--	-1.65%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-14.80%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-3.55%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-37.12%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 4.56 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Pfizer (PFE) at 1.42 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for PFE.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.56

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
PCVX: 4.56
Q1: 2.47
Min: 0.10

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.42

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
PFE: 1.42
Min: 0.10

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 0.09 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Pfizer (PFE) at 0.71 uses more debt funding than most peers.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.09

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
PCVX: 0.09
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.71

Max: 1.42
PFE: 0.71
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	PCVX	PFE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	4.56	1.42
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.09	0.71
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	1.97

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Vaxcyte (PCVX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Pfizer (PFE) reports a yield of 7.30%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

PCVX: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

7.30%

PFE: 7.30%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) reports payout ratio above 100% at 245.71%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings; Vaxcyte (PCVX) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

PCVX: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

245.71%

PFE: 245.71%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	PCVX	PFE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	7.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	245.71%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Pfizer (PFE) trades at 41.99 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Vaxcyte (PCVX) has no P/E ratio this period.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07
PCVX: --

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

41.99

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
PFE: 41.99
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): PCVX does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; PFE is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

A sales-based read is only available for Pfizer (PFE), whose P/S ratio of 2.63 ranks against industry peers; Vaxcyte (PCVX) reports no figure this period.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01
PCVX: --

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.63

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
PFE: 2.63
Min: 0.01

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): PCVX does not report P/S ratio, so it has no value marker; PFE is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 3.83 and Pfizer (PFE) at 1.88 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

PCVX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.83

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
PCVX: 3.83
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

PFE

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.88

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
PFE: 1.88
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

Vaxcyte (PCVX) vs. Pfizer (PFE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Vaxcyte (PCVX) and Pfizer (PFE)
Metric	PCVX	PFE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	41.99
P/S Ratio (TTM)	--	2.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.83	1.88
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-5.24%	7.76%