Pfizer (PFE +1.56%) recently reported earnings and spoke of what to expect in 2021. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Feb. 26, 2021, healthcare and cannabis bureau chief Corinne Cardina and Fool.com contributor Adria Cimino discuss two reasons to be optimistic about Pfizer (PFE +1.56%) this year -- and one point that warrants caution.
Corinne Cardina: We're going to talk a little bit about earnings. The most recent quarter that companies have announced is especially interesting because it's really the first quarter since they've been shipping vaccines. Let's start with Pfizer, which reported earnings in early February. Could you call out maybe two green flags and one red or yellow flag for investors?
Adria Cimino: Sure. Well, my first green flag would have to do with revenue for this coming year. Pfizer predicts, the revenue it's predicting would be about 40% higher than revenue from last year. They're predicting revenue of between $59.4 billion and $61.4 billion. Again, that would be a pretty good gain.
Along with that, I would say revenue for the coronavirus vaccine. They are predicting revenue from the coronavirus vaccine represents $15 billion in sales. Again, a super-huge blockbuster -- that's definitely a green flag.
My second green flag would be the spin-off of the Upjohn business. That's complete, so that is no longer going to be a drag on Pfizer. We can look forward to now just all of their better selling drugs and everything and the coronavirus vaccine, and we don't have to worry about that dragging down the business. That's definitely another green flag.
For my yellow flag, I would just say, keep in mind the competition with the coronavirus vaccines, because right now, the market is being shared with Moderna. But there are a lot of other companies coming up. The idea of Johnson & Johnson and Novavax and even others that could enter the market. That's something that right now, Moderna and Pfizer really are the leaders and maybe even for the rest of this year because of that big order that the U.S. government put in. But further down the road, if some of these others come up with better boosters or the idea of the one-shot vaccine, that could really hurt Pfizer down the road.
