Thanks for joining DividendStocks.com, the daily newsletter built for dividend and income investors like you. We’re thrilled to have you on board and can’t wait to help you discover the best dividend opportunities out there. Before we can start sending your daily insights, please take a quick moment to confirm your subscription: Click Here to Confirm Your Subscription to DividendStocks.com Here’s a small glimpse of what you’ll get access to: Dividend Stock Ideas — Each newsletter features dividend stocks with high yields, sustainable payouts, and strong growth potential. Ex-Dividend Stocks — Want to capture upcoming dividend payouts? Find out which stocks are going ex-dividend this week. Market News and Events — Stay in the loop on the latest developments impacting popular dividend names like AT&T, Exxon Mobil, IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Verizon. Bonus: As a thank-you for confirming, you’ll also receive a free PDF copy of Automatic Income, our popular guide to building wealth through dividend investing. Why wait? Let’s get your dividend journey started! Click Here to Start Discovering Top Income-Generating Stocks See you in your inbox soon,
The DividendStocks.com Team P.S. Don’t miss out click here to verify your subscription and secure your daily dividend insights and your free investing guide!
Further Reading from MarketBeat.com Pfizer Adds to Its Big Bet on Weight Loss DrugsWritten by Jordan Chussler. Published 12/16/2025. 
Key Points - The health care sector has led the S&P 500 over the three months, but Pfizer has lagged of late, slipping 5% since the start of October.
- As the Big Pharma company continues to struggle to replace COVID-19 vaccine revenue, it is heavily learning into the semaglutide and GLP-1 weight loss drug trend.
- Last week, the company signed a $2.1 billion licensing agreement with a Chinese pharma company to develop its early-stage weight loss pill.
Health care stocks have been on a run lately, leading the S&P 500's 11 sectors over the past three months with an 11.55% gain. Unfortunately for some investors, that rally has not included all of the Big Pharma mainstays. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), the maker of Chantix, Eliquis and Paxlovid, has seen its shares slide 5% since the start of October. By comparison, other mega-cap pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: REGN), and Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) are up nearly 14%, 24%, and 25%, respectively, over the same period. While President Trump's official salary is $400,000 per year... his tax returns reveal he's been collecting up to $250,000 PER MONTH from one hidden source. Until recently, most Americans couldn't touch the type of investment that makes up this investment. But thanks to Executive Order 14330, that just changed. If you love investing in disruptive new companies... Discover how to invest in the fund Trump uses to collect this income >> And despite Pfizer making headlines on Nov. 13 after acquiring obesity biotech Metsera in a $10 billion deal, the stock has mustered only a 0.23% gain since then. The nearly 177-year-old biopharma company is again looking to expand its role in the weight loss drug market, with management and shareholders hoping that a bigger presence in obesity treatments can help offset waning demand for mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer Looks to Gain Market Share After Enormous Deal With YaoPharma On Tuesday, Dec. 9, Pfizer struck a $2.1 billion licensing deal with China's YaoPharma to develop a GLP-1 weight loss pill that is in early-stage development. The drug is intended to work similarly to Wegovy, the game-changing weight loss injection from competitor Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO). News of a yet-to-be-approved pill may not move the stock in the short term, but it does signal Pfizer's continued commitment and momentum in the obesity treatment market. Under the agreement, Pfizer will pay a $150 million upfront fee to YaoPharma's parent company, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical, which has an $8.4 billion market cap. Additionally, Pfizer could pay YaoPharma up to $1.94 billion in milestone payments if the drug progresses toward approval, plus royalties on sales if and when it is approved. Those milestone payments will be contingent upon YaoPharma successfully advancing the weight loss pill through Phase 1 trials, after which Pfizer will take control of later-stage development. Pfizer also plans to conduct combination studies—currently in mid-stage development—testing the Chinese pharma's pill together with Pfizer's own GIP gut-hormone receptor program, a strategy similar to Eli Lilly's approach with Zepbound and Mounjaro that targets both GLP-1 and GIP. Pfizer Is Positioning Itself for the Future of the Weight Loss Drug Market The deal highlights how aggressively Pfizer's executives are pursuing a larger, long-term role in the GLP-1 and broader obesity treatment market. Pfizer's leadership has demonstrated a willingness to invest heavily—roughly $10.1 billion over the past month—to pursue a position in a rapidly growing industry. Forecasts from market analysis firm Grand View Research suggest the GLP-1 weight loss drug market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.54% from 2025 to 2030, rising from less than $14 billion at the start of this year to an estimated $48.84 billion by 2030. Grand View Research found that North America accounts for the largest revenue share, with more than 75% of the GLP-1 agonists market. While other obesity interventions exist—such as lifestyle changes and bariatric surgery—GLP-1 drugs remain the preferred option among many physicians and patients. Patient Investors Can Enjoy PFE's Sizable Dividend Shareholders are hoping Pfizer's push into the weight loss market pays off after the stock has punished loyal investors with a loss of more than 31% over the past five years. Much of that decline stems from waning COVID vaccine sales, which drove the company's revenue growth from more than 95% at the end of 2021 to a contraction of more than 41% by the end of 2023. Last year, Pfizer rebounded modestly, reporting a nearly 7% increase in revenue. At the same time, the stock's dividend has helped offset some investors' concerns. Pfizer remains a strong dividend payer with a current yield of 6.65%—$1.72 per share annually. That payout has increased for 16 consecutive years, making the stock popular with income investors despite a roughly 100% dividend payout ratio that raises questions about sustainability. For investors willing to be patient and who are bullish on the near- and mid-term prospects of prescription weight loss drugs, Pfizer can continue to provide income while serving as a speculative position in the GLP-1 industry. However, growth-focused investors may be less tolerant of another year of lackluster performance. Analysts' average 12-month price target implies a little more than 10% potential upside from the stock's current price, along with a consensus Hold rating. Meanwhile, short interest has been steadily rising as the stock continues to attract Wall Street bears. Currently, $3.58 billion worth of the float is shorted—or nearly 84% more than PFE's short position at the end of January 2025.
| 
