Pfizer (PFE) Dividend Capture: 1.65% per event (6.5% annualized)
PFE
Pfizer (PFE) has touched its pre-ex close within 30 trading days in 80% of the last 20 ex-dividend events, with a median time-to-touch of 2 trading days (limit-order recovery basis). The dividend is below the typical daily price swing (signal-to-noise 0.61), meaning ordinary day-to-day noise can easily exceed the dividend itself.
Versus its sector, PFE sits noticeably below the Healthcare sector benchmark of 100%. The sector median time-to-touch is 1 trading day, so this ticker touches more slowly than peers.
Historical base rates are not predictions; transaction costs, slippage, and ordinary-income tax on short holding periods can materially reduce realized profit. The next confirmed ex-dividend date is May 8, 2026, with an expected dividend of $0.43.
- Touch rate (30d)
- 80%-20pp vs sector
- Median days-to-touch
- 2d+1.0d vs sector
- Signal-to-noise
- 0.61+0.45 vs sector
Recovery engine
TL;DR over the most recent 20 events.
- 30-day touch rate
- 80%-20pp vs sector
- Median days-to-touch
- 2d+1.0d vs sector
- Signal-to-noise (div / ATR)
- 0.61+0.45 vs sector
- Avg gap on ex-date
- -1.49%-1.16pp vs sector
- Win rate at MOC exit
- 60%
- Median drawdown during hold
- -5.14%-0.76pp vs sector
- Best / worst touch (days)
- 1 / 18
Next ex-dividend
Confirmed by company declaration.
- Dividend
- $0.43
- Per-event yield
- 1.65%
- Annualized yield
- 6.51%
- Previously paid
- Jan 23, 2026 ($0.43)
- Last record date
- Jan 23, 2026
- Last payment date
- Mar 6, 2026
How PFE ranks in Healthcare
Compared with other stocks in this sector that pass our capture-quality filter (40 tickers). Lower rank number is better on every metric below.
- 30-day touch rate#38of 40
Beats ~5% of peers on this metric
- Median days to touch#36of 40
Beats ~10% of peers on this metric
- Signal-to-noise#1of 40
Beats ~98% of peers on this metric
PFE Dividend Capture History — Last 20 Ex-Dividend Events
Per-event gap on ex-date, the pre-ex close used as the touch target, trading days to first intraday high at or above that level, plus 5/30-day touch flags, drawdown and 5-day P&L for Pfizer (PFE). For a stricter close-at-bell exit timeline, use the simulator below (MOC mode). td = trading days from ex-date.
| Recovered 5d | Recovered 30d | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | $0.43 | -1.99% | $26.10 | 3 | yes | yes | -3.22% | +2.95% | |
| Q4 | $0.43 | -2.09% | $24.85 | 2 | yes | yes | -3.78% | +2.58% | |
| Q3 | $0.43 | -1.50% | $25.35 | 18 | no | yes | -8.84% | -5.64% | |
| Q2 | $0.43 | -2.00% | $22.97 | 2 | yes | yes | -4.35% | +1.26% | |
| Q1 | $0.43 | -1.59% | $26.44 | 2 | yes | yes | -3.18% | +1.93% | |
| Q4 | $0.42 | -1.27% | $27.46 | >30 | no | no | -10.85% | -8.16% | |
| Q3 | $0.42 | -0.10% | $30.18 | 1 | yes | yes | -5.43% | +2.22% | |
| Q2 | $0.42 | -1.80% | $28.27 | 2 | yes | yes | -3.36% | +3.78% | |
| Q1 | $0.42 | -1.80% | $28.33 | 4 | yes | yes | -6.39% | -2.19% | |
| Q4 | $0.41 | -1.07% | $30.82 | >30 | no | no | -6.13% | -2.08% | |
| Q3 | $0.41 | -0.97% | $37.21 | >30 | no | no | -6.85% | -4.84% | |
| Q2 | $0.41 | -1.83% | $38.30 | 8 | no | yes | -5.56% | -3.68% | |
| Q1 | $0.41 | -1.93% | $45.07 | >30 | no | no | -5.26% | -0.71% | |
| Q4 | $0.40 | -1.51% | $47.07 | 2 | yes | yes | -1.93% | +1.51% | |
| Q3 | $0.40 | -2.12% | $51.95 | 1 | yes | yes | -5.79% | -3.25% | |
| Q2 | $0.40 | -0.91% | $49.45 | 1 | yes | yes | -1.48% | +3.24% | |
| Q1 | $0.40 | 0.02% | $53.01 | 1 | yes | yes | -6.26% | +1.45% | |
| Q4 | $0.39 | -1.18% | $44.82 | 2 | yes | yes | -3.37% | +12.83% | |
| Q3 | $0.39 | -0.51% | $43.45 | 3 | yes | yes | -1.91% | +4.60% | |
| Q2 | $0.39 | -3.73% | $39.97 | 3 | yes | yes | -5.03% | +1.30% |
Q1
- Dividend
- $0.43
- Gap %
- -1.99%
- Pre-ex close
- $26.10
- High touch (td)
- 3
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -3.22%
- P&L 5d %
- +2.95%
Q4
- Dividend
- $0.43
- Gap %
- -2.09%
- Pre-ex close
- $24.85
- High touch (td)
- 2
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -3.78%
- P&L 5d %
- +2.58%
Q3
- Dividend
- $0.43
- Gap %
- -1.50%
- Pre-ex close
- $25.35
- High touch (td)
- 18
- Recovered 5d
- no
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -8.84%
- P&L 5d %
- -5.64%
Q2
- Dividend
- $0.43
- Gap %
- -2.00%
- Pre-ex close
- $22.97
- High touch (td)
- 2
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -4.35%
- P&L 5d %
- +1.26%
Q1
- Dividend
- $0.43
- Gap %
- -1.59%
- Pre-ex close
- $26.44
- High touch (td)
- 2
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -3.18%
- P&L 5d %
- +1.93%
Q4
- Dividend
- $0.42
- Gap %
- -1.27%
- Pre-ex close
- $27.46
- High touch (td)
- >30
- Recovered 5d
- no
- Recovered 30d
- no
- Drawdown
- -10.85%
- P&L 5d %
- -8.16%
Q3
- Dividend
- $0.42
- Gap %
- -0.10%
- Pre-ex close
- $30.18
- High touch (td)
- 1
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -5.43%
- P&L 5d %
- +2.22%
Q2
- Dividend
- $0.42
- Gap %
- -1.80%
- Pre-ex close
- $28.27
- High touch (td)
- 2
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -3.36%
- P&L 5d %
- +3.78%
Q1
- Dividend
- $0.42
- Gap %
- -1.80%
- Pre-ex close
- $28.33
- High touch (td)
- 4
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -6.39%
- P&L 5d %
- -2.19%
Q4
- Dividend
- $0.41
- Gap %
- -1.07%
- Pre-ex close
- $30.82
- High touch (td)
- >30
- Recovered 5d
- no
- Recovered 30d
- no
- Drawdown
- -6.13%
- P&L 5d %
- -2.08%
Q3
- Dividend
- $0.41
- Gap %
- -0.97%
- Pre-ex close
- $37.21
- High touch (td)
- >30
- Recovered 5d
- no
- Recovered 30d
- no
- Drawdown
- -6.85%
- P&L 5d %
- -4.84%
Q2
- Dividend
- $0.41
- Gap %
- -1.83%
- Pre-ex close
- $38.30
- High touch (td)
- 8
- Recovered 5d
- no
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -5.56%
- P&L 5d %
- -3.68%
Q1
- Dividend
- $0.41
- Gap %
- -1.93%
- Pre-ex close
- $45.07
- High touch (td)
- >30
- Recovered 5d
- no
- Recovered 30d
- no
- Drawdown
- -5.26%
- P&L 5d %
- -0.71%
Q4
- Dividend
- $0.40
- Gap %
- -1.51%
- Pre-ex close
- $47.07
- High touch (td)
- 2
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -1.93%
- P&L 5d %
- +1.51%
Q3
- Dividend
- $0.40
- Gap %
- -2.12%
- Pre-ex close
- $51.95
- High touch (td)
- 1
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -5.79%
- P&L 5d %
- -3.25%
Q2
- Dividend
- $0.40
- Gap %
- -0.91%
- Pre-ex close
- $49.45
- High touch (td)
- 1
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -1.48%
- P&L 5d %
- +3.24%
Q1
- Dividend
- $0.40
- Gap %
- 0.02%
- Pre-ex close
- $53.01
- High touch (td)
- 1
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -6.26%
- P&L 5d %
- +1.45%
Q4
- Dividend
- $0.39
- Gap %
- -1.18%
- Pre-ex close
- $44.82
- High touch (td)
- 2
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -3.37%
- P&L 5d %
- +12.83%
Q3
- Dividend
- $0.39
- Gap %
- -0.51%
- Pre-ex close
- $43.45
- High touch (td)
- 3
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -1.91%
- P&L 5d %
- +4.60%
Q2
- Dividend
- $0.39
- Gap %
- -3.73%
- Pre-ex close
- $39.97
- High touch (td)
- 3
- Recovered 5d
- yes
- Recovered 30d
- yes
- Drawdown
- -5.03%
- P&L 5d %
- +1.30%
PFE Pre-Ex Touch Time Distribution
- ≤ 1 day420%
- 2–3 days945%
- 4–5 days15%
- 6–10 days15%
- 11–30 days15%
- 30+420%
20% within 1d · 70% within 5d · 80% within 30d
PFE Dividend Capture Calculator — After-Tax Yield
Pre-filled with PFE's next expected dividend and recent close. Adjust tax rate, holding period and slippage to estimate after-tax capture yield.
Holding shorter than the IRS 61-day rule disqualifies the dividend from “qualified” status — it is taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate. Adjust Tax % accordingly.
- Gross dividend
- $86.00
- After-tax dividend
- $55.90
- Slippage round-trip
- -$5.22
- Net if price returns to pre-ex
- +$50.68
- Required recovery to break even
- 0.00%
- Per-event after-tax yield
- +0.97%
- Annual if all succeed
- ~48.9%
PFE Dividend Capture Backtest Simulator
Replay every historical PFE ex-dividend with two exit strategies: a GTC limit-order at the pre-ex close (limit-order P&L on first intraday touch), or hold for N days and exit at MOC. Pick the window and quarter filter that matches your plan and see realized P&L per event.
Sell back at the pre-ex close on the first intraday touch within the window. If it never touches, exit at MOC after the window expires (stop-loss).
Figures are gross — before tax, commissions, and slippage. Percents are per-event return on capital at entry (pre-ex close).
Cumulative P&L (equity curve)
Vertical axis: cumulative sum of per-event % (same units as the headline cumulative). Hover dots for exact values.
Per-event P&L distribution
20 trades in this sample · bar height ∝ count in each bucket (gross % per event).
Scenario P&L by event · PFE (20)
Scenario P&L — updates with exit mode, window, and quarter. History adds gap, touch, drawdown, and a fixed P&L 5d % (MOC). Same per-row % as that column only for MOC + 5d on the same rows. Oldest → newest, gross pre-ex close basis.
| Ex-date | P&L |
|---|---|
| +0.98% | |
| +0.90% | |
| +0.87% | |
| +0.75% | |
| +0.81% | |
| +0.77% | |
| +0.85% | |
| -0.71% | |
| -3.68% | |
| -4.84% | |
| -2.08% | |
| +1.48% | |
| +1.49% | |
| +1.39% | |
| -8.16% | |
| +1.63% | |
| +1.87% | |
| -5.64% | |
| +1.73% | |
| +1.65% |
Looking for full price seasonality? See PFE seasonality →
Frequently asked questions
What is the dividend capture success rate for PFE?
Across the last 20 ex-dividend events for Pfizer (PFE), the post-ex intraday high reached the pre-ex close within 30 trading days in 80% of cases, with a median time-to-touch of 2 trading days. We measure recovery via intraday high because that is when a GTC limit-order at the pre-ex close would actually fill, ending the trade at break-even with the dividend pocketed.
How long does it take PFE to recover its dividend gap?
Historically, PFE touches its pre-ex close in a median of 2 trading days, with the best case at 1 and the worst case at 18 trading days within our 30-day measurement window. A stricter close-based recovery (mark-to-MOC) is also computed in the database; explore it with the per-ticker simulator’s “Hold N days, exit MOC” mode rather than in the event table.
Is the dividend on PFE large enough to capture?
PFE has a signal-to-noise ratio of 0.61 (dividend / 14-day ATR). Values above 1.0 indicate the dividend is larger than the typical daily price swing, making capture trades more viable; below 0.5 means typical daily noise can easily wipe out the gain.
When is the next ex-dividend date for PFE?
The next ex-dividend date for Pfizer (PFE) is May 8, 2026, confirmed (declared by the company).
How does PFE compare to its sector for dividend capture?
Within Healthcare, the median 30-day pre-ex touch rate is 100%. PFE sits at 80% — at or below the sector benchmark.
Why does PFE dividend capture measure recovery via intraday high, not close?
A realistic capture trade exits via a GTC limit-order at the pre-ex close: the moment the post-ex intraday high touches that level, the order fills and the trader pockets the dividend at break-even. Measuring recovery via close is stricter (mark-to-MOC); we expose that path in the per-ticker simulator as the "Hold N days, exit MOC" mode. The high-based primary metric directly answers the trader-facing question "would my limit have filled?" — close-based answers "would I have been flat at the bell?".
How are dividend capture trades taxed in the US?
Holding period matters. Dividends are "qualified" (taxed at the long-term capital gains rate, 0/15/20%) only when the underlying shares are held for more than 60 days during the 121-day window centered on the ex-dividend date. Dividend capture trades typically hold less than 61 days, so the dividend is taxed at your ordinary income bracket. Always consult a qualified tax advisor.
What are the main risks of a dividend capture strategy?
Three structural risks: (1) the share price may not recover the gap within your holding window; (2) ordinary-income tax can consume the after-tax yield; (3) transaction costs and bid/ask slippage can wipe out small dividends. Historical statistics measure base rates; they do not guarantee any single trade will work.