PFE drawdown: 59.9% below the all-time high
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) is 59.9% below its all-time high, set Dec 16, 2021 (as of market close, Jul 24, 2026). The chart shows every day as a percentage of the highest level reached up to that point: 100% means a fresh record, everything below is a drawdown. "All-time" means since our price data begins (1972).
- Below all-time high
- −59.9%
- 40.1% of ATH
- All-time high
- $61.25
- Dec 16, 2021
- Time below the high
- 4.6 yrs
- since Dec 16, 2021
- Worst-ever drawdown
- −76.7%
- Mar 2, 2009
- Longest underwater
- 22.3 yrs
- between all-time highs
- Today's level first reached
- Dec 3, 1997
- 28.6 yrs ago
- Last time this deep
- Dec 5, 2011
- in a previous episode
% of all-time high since 1972#
The classic underwater chart (drawdown curve), drawn as % of the all-time high — 100% is a fresh record, everything below it is time spent underwater.
% of all-time high on the price basis — the all-time high considers the full history of PFE, including years before the visible window. Dividends are excluded on this basis (the convention headlines use).
The deepest drawdowns on record#
Every decline of 15% or more from an all-time high (price basis), deepest first.
| Peak | Trough | Depth | Peak → trough | Recovered by | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1999 | Mar 2, 2009 | −76.7% | 9.9 yrs | Aug 10, 2021 | 22.3 yrs |
| Dec 16, 2021 | Apr 10, 2025 | −64.8% | 3.3 yrs | not yet | 4.6 yrs+ |
| Jul 25, 1973 | Oct 4, 1974 | −58.7% | 14 mo | Dec 30, 1980 | 7.4 yrs |
| Feb 17, 1987 | Dec 15, 1987 | −45.6% | 10 mo | Oct 18, 1990 | 3.7 yrs |
| Jan 9, 1992 | Apr 4, 1994 | −37.5% | 2.2 yrs | Mar 17, 1995 | 3.2 yrs |
| Jul 1, 1983 | Jul 24, 1984 | −33.0% | 13 mo | Apr 19, 1985 | 1.8 yrs |
| Jul 13, 1998 | Oct 13, 1998 | −26.3% | 3 mo | Dec 23, 1998 | 5 mo |
| Apr 30, 1981 | Sep 25, 1981 | −25.6% | 5 mo | Jan 28, 1982 | 9 mo |
Price basis (no dividends) — the convention crash histories use. With dividends reinvested, recoveries arrive years earlier; switch the basis on the chart above to see it.
Drawdown vs what came next#
One dot per month since 1972: how far PFE stood below its all-time high, and the total return over the following 1, 5 and 10 years.
Read this with survivorship bias in mind: PFE is on this chart precisely because it survived — the many stocks that fell this far and never recovered (or were delisted) aren't on anyone's chart, so past recoveries here say little about the odds ahead. Monthly windows also overlap heavily (they are not independent samples). Not investment advice.
FAQ
- How far is PFE from its all-time high?
- PFE is currently 59.9% below its all-time high, set Dec 16, 2021 (as of market close, Jul 24, 2026). Prices only, the convention headlines use; with dividends reinvested the gap is usually smaller.
- What was the biggest PFE drawdown ever?
- The deepest decline on record in our data (since 1972) took the stock 76.7% below its prior high, bottoming Mar 2, 2009. The table on this page lists every major episode with its peak, trough and recovery date.
Methodology & related#
Daily closing prices since 1972 (split-adjusted). "All-time" means since our price data begins — PFE may have traded earlier. For a 150-year index drawdown record see the S&P 500 drawdown page. The price basis excludes dividends; the total-return basis reinvests them; the real basis additionally deflates by CPI. See also returns by year, 150 years of returns and the rolling-returns explorer. Past performance does not predict future returns; not investment advice.