AZN vs NVS vs BMY Stock Comparison

Astrazeneca, Novartis Ag and Bristol Myers Squibb Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AZN Astrazeneca Plc
$172.00 +3.2% 1M +3.3% 1Y
Market cap
$266.60B
P/E
25.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$58.67B
Div. yield
1.39%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 wins
NVS Novartis Ag
$153.75 +5.7% 1M +17.9% 1Y
Market cap
$293.38B
P/E
18.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$54.77B
Div. yield
3.08%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
5 wins
BMY Bristol Myers Squibb Co
$61.61 -2.0% 1M +40.6% 1Y
Market cap
$125.85B
P/E
13.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$49.19B
Div. yield
4.09%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Novartis Ag leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Novartis Ag 5, Bristol Myers Squibb 4, Astrazeneca 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAZNNVSBMYLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $266.60B $293.38B $125.85B NVS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.5x 18.9x 13.6x BMY
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.2x 16.6x 9.3x BMY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.4% +2.8% +3.1% AZN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.8% 28.8% 18.9% NVS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 23.3% 34.9% -3.3% NVS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.4x — 78.9x AZN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.39% 3.08% 4.09% BMY
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +3.3% +17.9% +40.6% BMY
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.8%/yr +13.2%/yr +1.8%/yr NVS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.4% 27.8% 28.4% AZN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 71/100 67/100 NVS

Percentile Scorecard

AZNNVSBMY

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAZNNVSBMY
Valuation 82 #51 of 275 87 #37 of 275 82 #50 of 275
Growth 68 #83 of 253 53 #120 of 253 51 #125 of 253
Profitability 95 #13 of 224 96 #9 of 224 89 #26 of 224
Financial Health 41 #176 of 296 43 #170 of 296 22 #231 of 296
Shareholder Returns 71 #37 of 126 78 #28 of 126 90 #13 of 126
Overall 71 71 67
  • AZN ranked among 305 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • NVS ranked among 305 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • BMY ranked among 305 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAZNNVSBMYSPY
1 month +3.2%+5.7%-2.0% -0.8%
3 months +1.4%-1.5%-1.5% +3.5%
6 months -8.3%+6.6%+6.6% +7.0%
Year to date -6.5%+11.5%+14.2% +12.2%
1 year +3.3%+17.9%+40.6% +13.0%
3 years +39.0%+66.6%+20.8% +86.3%
3 years, per year +11.6%+18.6%+6.5% +23.1%
5 years +39.2%+85.8%+9.1% +68.6%
5 years, per year +6.8%+13.2%+1.8% +11.0%
10 years +190.6%+116.2%+25.0% +258.0%
10 years, per year +11.3%+8.0%+2.3% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureAZNNVSBMYSPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.4%27.8%28.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.3%30.7%25.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.220.330.20 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.120.641.43 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-20.4%-51.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -17.9%-8.8%-9.5% -1.8%
52-week high $209.48$168.62$68.09 $779.14
52-week low $155.60$121.80$42.60 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAZNNVSBMY
P/E now vs peer median 25.5xmedian 10.4x 18.9xmedian 10.4x 13.6xmedian 10.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.5xmedian 6.4x 5.4xmedian 6.4x 2.6xmedian 6.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 10.7x —median 10.7x 388.9xmedian 10.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 25.0xmedian 12.5x 15.1xmedian 12.5x 11.0xmedian 12.5x
P/B now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 1.6x 7.0xmedian 1.6x 5.6xmedian 1.6x
PEG now vs peer median 1.33median 0.29 0.58median 0.29 2.20median 0.29

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAZNNVSBMY
Revenue $58.67B $54.77B $49.19B
Gross profit $50.25B $42.37B $34.51B
Operating income $13.97B $17.10B -$2.77B
Net income $10.45B $12.75B $9.28B
Free cash flow $10.67B $19.38B $11.44B
R&D $15.07B $11.69B $10.72B
EPS (diluted) $6.69 $8.07 $4.53
Cash & equivalents $4.90B $7.62B $8.72B
Total debt $106.76B $31.01B $43.12B
Shares (diluted) 1.56B 1.96B 2.05B
Enterprise value $240.36B $257.77B $77.12B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAZNNVSBMY
P/E 25.5x 18.9x 13.6x
P/FCF 25.0x 15.1x 11.0x
P/Operating cash flow 19.5x 16.0x 9.8x
P/S 4.5x 5.4x 2.6x
P/B 5.3x 7.0x 5.6x
P/Tangible book 21.1x -2,292x 25.5x
EV/EBITDA 14.5x – 388.9x
EV/EBIT 21.0x 17.3x -57.0x
EV/Revenue 5.0x 5.4x 3.2x
EV/FCF 27.6x 15.2x 13.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.5x 16.1x 12.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.33 0.58 2.20

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAZNNVSBMY
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.4% 2.8% 3.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 8.1% 2.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.3% 0.7% 2.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.1% 9.5% -0.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.4% 2.5% 63.5%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 23.9% 23.8% -17.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 25.9% -6.5% 83.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 19.2% 21.7% 5.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 26.0% -9.6% 82.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.2% 32.3% 6.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 2.3% -11.5% -19.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.7% 6.2% 2.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -4.5% -10.2% -21.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.5% 7.0% 2.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAZNNVSBMY
Gross margin 85.6% 77.4% 70.2%
EBITDA margin 34.6% – 0.8%
Operating margin 23.8% 31.2% -5.6%
Pretax margin 21.5% 28.3% 24.2%
Net margin 17.8% 28.8% 18.9%
FCF margin 18.2% 35.4% 23.3%
Operating cash flow margin 23.3% 33.6% 26.0%
Return on equity 21.4% 31.5% 43.7%
Return on assets 9.1% 10.6% 10.7%
Return on invested capital 23.3% 34.9% -3.3%
Return on capital employed 16.8% 19.3% -4.0%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.4x 1.4x
Stock comp / revenue – – 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAZNNVSBMY
Debt / assets 27.9% 7.9% 49.2%
Debt / equity 0.6x 0.2x 1.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.4x – 78.9x
Debt / FCF 3.0x 0.5x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 56.5% 65.6% 74.5%
Equity / assets 43.5% 34.4% 25.5%
Interest coverage 15.9x 36.7x –
Current ratio 0.9x 0.9x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.5x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.2x 0.6x
Altman Z-score 3.46 – 2.07

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAZNNVSBMY
Dividend yield 1.4% 3.1% 4.1%
Net buyback yield 0.0% -1.5% –
Shareholder yield 1.4% 1.6% 4.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAZNNVSBMY
Forward P/E 17.2xFY2026 16.6xFY2026 9.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.00FY2026 $9.26FY2026 $6.62FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.2%FY2026 +3.1%FY2026 +7.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.2% +1.2% -3.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $59.02BFY2026 $53.93BFY2026 $52.09BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.5%FY2026 -1.1%FY2026 +8.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.9% +19.2% -9.2%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAZNNVSBMY
Held by institutions 52.1% 7.0% 81.8%
Institutions holding 1,496 1,607 2,519
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.8% -5.9% +3.8%
Institutions buying 808 662 1,185
Institutions selling 468 560 986
Buyers to sellers 1.73 1.18 1.20

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AZNNVSBMY
AZN 1.00 0.56 0.45
NVS 0.56 1.00 0.52
BMY 0.45 0.52 1.00

Add a Peer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AZN, NVS and BMY?

Novartis Ag (NVS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Astrazeneca (AZN) $266.60B, Novartis Ag (NVS) $293.38B, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) $125.85B.

Which stock is cheaper, AZN, NVS and BMY?

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Astrazeneca (AZN) 25.5x, Novartis Ag (NVS) 18.9x, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 13.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) is cheapest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 17.2x, Novartis Ag (NVS) 16.6x, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 9.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Astrazeneca (AZN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Astrazeneca (AZN) +9.4%, Novartis Ag (NVS) +2.8%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) +3.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Novartis Ag (NVS) has the highest net margin (Astrazeneca (AZN) 17.8%, Novartis Ag (NVS) 28.8%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 18.9%). On return on invested capital, Novartis Ag (NVS) leads (Astrazeneca (AZN) 23.3%, Novartis Ag (NVS) 34.9%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) -3.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) returned the most: Astrazeneca (AZN) +3.3%, Novartis Ag (NVS) +17.9%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) +40.6%. Over five years, Novartis Ag (NVS) compounded fastest (Astrazeneca (AZN) +6.8%/yr, Novartis Ag (NVS) +13.2%/yr, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) +1.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) has the highest dividend yield: Astrazeneca (AZN) 1.39%, Novartis Ag (NVS) 3.08%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 4.09%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Astrazeneca (AZN) has been the steadiest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 27.4%, Novartis Ag (NVS) 27.8%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 28.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AZN, NVS and BMY?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Novartis Ag (NVS) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.