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PFE vs. WAT: Pfizer vs. Waters Stock Comparison

How do Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT) 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

Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but PFE is classified in Pharmaceuticals while WAT is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services.

Company profile comparison for Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
Profile ItemPFEWAT
NamePfizer Inc.Waters Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life SciencesPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryPharmaceuticalsLife Sciences Tools & Services
GICS Sub-IndustryPharmaceuticalsLife Sciences Tools & Services
Market Capitalization167.52 billion USD44.93 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJune 1, 1972November 17, 1995
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PFE
WAT
GSPC
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT), 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

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
MetricPFEWAT
Total Return (1Y)28.65%27.70%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)6.41%23.32%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-3.98%6.27%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PFE
WAT
GSPC
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT), 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

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

Risk Metrics

Pfizer (PFE) is heavily traded at around 33.67M shares per day, whereas Waters (WAT) sees a more moderate 816.72K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk profile metrics for Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
MetricPFEWAT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)21.72%35.45%
Beta (5Y)0.351.13
Max Drawdown (5Y)-58.96%-36.47%
Avg. Volume (3M)33.67M816.72K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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PFE and WAT 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 Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
MetricPFEWAT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.120.66
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.730.98

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Pfizer (PFE) at 4.47% and Waters (WAT) at 1.12% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.12%

Max
109.18%
Q3
6.23%
WAT
1.12%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): 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 Waters (WAT) at 1.76%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.76%

Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
WAT
1.76%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): 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 Waters (WAT) at 11.38%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

11.38%

Max
83.12%
Q3
14.77%
WAT
11.38%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
MetricPFEWAT
ROE (TTM)4.47%1.12%
ROA (TTM)5.59%2.36%
Net Margin (TTM)6.34%1.76%
Operating Margin (TTM)33.38%11.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)74.90%49.83%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Waters (WAT) at 6.99% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Pfizer (PFE) at -1.65% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Both Pfizer (PFE) at -3.55% and Waters (WAT) at 0.47% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
MetricPFEWAT
Revenue Growth (YoY)-1.65%6.99%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-14.80%2.12%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.55%0.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-37.12%-2.84%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Pfizer (PFE) shows current ratio of 1.42 against its industry benchmark, while Waters (WAT) has no reading this period.

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

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

--

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
Min
0.10
WAT
--
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): WAT does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; PFE is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Waters (WAT) at 0.34 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Pfizer (PFE) at 0.71 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.34

Max
1.42
Q3
0.65
WAT
0.34
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
MetricPFEWAT
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.42--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.710.34
Net Debt / EBITDA1.973.23

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Waters (WAT) 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.

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%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

WAT
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): 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; Waters (WAT) pays no dividend (payout 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%

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

WAT
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
MetricPFEWAT
Dividend Yield (TTM)7.30%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)245.71%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 41.99 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Waters (WAT) at 191.46 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for WAT’s trailing earnings.

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

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

191.46

WAT
191.46
Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Pfizer (PFE) at 2.63 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Waters (WAT) at 8.01 prices around its industry’s middle — PFE costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.01

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
WAT
8.01
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
Min
0.01
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Pfizer (PFE) at 1.88 and Waters (WAT) at 2.94 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

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

WAT

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.94

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
WAT
2.94
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59
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Pfizer (PFE) vs. Waters (WAT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Pfizer (PFE) and Waters (WAT)
MetricPFEWAT
P/E Ratio (TTM)41.99191.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.638.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.882.94
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)7.76%--