JNJ vs VRTX vs AZN Stock Comparison

Johnson & Johnson, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Astrazeneca Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
JNJ Johnson & Johnson
$268.78 -0.9% 1M +41.2% 1Y
Market cap
$648.70B
P/E
40.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$99.34B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
4 wins
AZN Astrazeneca Plc
$170.02 +2.1% 1M +1.1% 1Y
Market cap
$265.24B
P/E
25.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$58.67B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Johnson & Johnson leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Johnson & Johnson 4, Vertex Pharmaceuticals 4, Astrazeneca 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionJNJVRTXAZNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $648.70B $134.43B $265.24B JNJ
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 40.3x 30.5x 25.4x AZN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 25.1x 28.6x 17.0x AZN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +10.2% +9.4% VRTX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.2% 35.0% 17.8% VRTX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 17.6% — 23.3% AZN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x — 1.4x JNJ
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +41.2% +24.0% +1.1% JNJ
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +10.5%/yr +23.4%/yr +6.5%/yr VRTX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 20.9% 29.0% 27.4% JNJ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 76/100 71/100 VRTX

Percentile Scorecard

JNJVRTXAZN

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

AxisJNJVRTXAZN
Valuation 87 #81 of 625 81 #121 of 625 86 #91 of 625
Growth 42 #352 of 602 60 #241 of 602 70 #183 of 602
Profitability 93 #38 of 551 95 #30 of 551 94 #34 of 551
Financial Health 43 #374 of 656 53 #307 of 656 36 #420 of 656
Shareholder Returns 75 #92 of 365 93 #28 of 365 70 #111 of 365
Overall 68 76 71
  • JNJ ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • VRTX ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • AZN ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodJNJVRTXAZNSPY
1 month -0.9%-1.0%+2.1% -0.2%
3 months +0.8%+6.2%-1.4% +3.9%
6 months +18.0%+21.1%-8.9% +8.2%
Year to date +29.9%+14.9%-7.5% +12.9%
1 year +41.2%+24.0%+1.1% +12.3%
3 years +84.6%+46.7%+37.4% +87.4%
3 years, per year +22.7%+13.6%+11.2% +23.3%
5 years +65.0%+186.3%+36.7% +67.9%
5 years, per year +10.5%+23.4%+6.5% +10.9%
10 years +132.3%+587.0%+197.9% +261.1%
10 years, per year +8.8%+21.3%+11.5% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureJNJVRTXAZNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 20.9%29.0%27.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.1%25.8%27.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.220.490.21 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.970.830.04 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -23.6%-29.1%-27.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -3.5%-6.6%-18.8% -1.2%
52-week high $278.47$557.96$209.48 $779.14
52-week low $186.00$409.47$155.60 $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.

MultipleJNJVRTXAZN
P/E now vs peer median 40.2xmedian 17.2x 30.0xmedian 17.2x 25.2xmedian 17.2x
P/S now vs peer median 6.5xmedian 9.0x 10.5xmedian 9.0x 4.5xmedian 9.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.3xmedian 16.3x 24.8xmedian 16.3x 14.3xmedian 16.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.4xmedian 18.7x 34.8xmedian 18.7x 24.7xmedian 18.7x
P/B now vs peer median 7.9xmedian 2.2x 6.5xmedian 2.2x 5.2xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median -1.87median 0.33 2.96median 0.33 1.31median 0.33

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 monthsJNJVRTXAZN
Revenue $99.34B $12.59B $58.67B
Gross profit $67.11B $10.82B $50.25B
Operating income $25.19B $4.78B $13.97B
Net income $16.10B $4.41B $10.45B
Free cash flow $20.59B $3.80B $10.67B
R&D $16.08B $3.91B $15.07B
EPS (diluted) $6.57 $17.26 $6.69
Cash & equivalents $16.91B $6.14B $4.90B
Total debt $44.65B – $32.35B
Shares (diluted) 2.45B 255.20M 1.56B
Enterprise value $568.56B $106.43B $238.92B

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
MetricJNJVRTXAZN
P/E 40.2x 30.0x 25.2x
P/FCF 31.4x 34.8x 24.7x
P/Operating cash flow 24.7x 30.7x 19.2x
P/S 6.5x 10.5x 4.5x
P/B 7.9x 6.5x 5.2x
P/Tangible book 18.6x 6.7x 20.8x
EV/EBITDA 20.3x 24.8x 14.3x
EV/EBIT 26.8x 26.0x 20.8x
EV/Revenue 6.8x 9.9x 5.0x
EV/FCF 32.8x 32.7x 27.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.8x 28.9x 21.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.87 2.96 1.31

Growth

14 metrics
MetricJNJVRTXAZN
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 10.2% 9.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 9.8% 10.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.0% 10.1% 9.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 9.0% 13.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 7.4% 21.8% 23.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 1.4% 6.4% 23.9%
Net income growth (1Y) -35.9% 21.1% 25.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -22.5% 9.4% 19.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -36.4% 22.9% 26.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -21.5% 10.1% 19.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 8.1% 11.6% 2.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.4% 1.8% 13.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 5.1% 8.5% -4.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.5% -0.7% 8.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricJNJVRTXAZN
Gross margin 67.6% 86.0% 85.6%
EBITDA margin 33.5% 39.7% 34.6%
Operating margin 25.4% 38.0% 23.8%
Pretax margin 17.9% 41.9% 21.5%
Net margin 16.2% 35.0% 17.8%
FCF margin 20.7% 30.2% 18.2%
Operating cash flow margin 26.3% 34.1% 23.3%
Return on equity 19.3% 22.2% 21.4%
Return on assets 8.1% 16.3% 9.1%
Return on invested capital 17.6% – 23.3%
Return on capital employed 17.5% 20.8% 16.8%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 1.0x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 1.4% 5.5% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricJNJVRTXAZN
Debt / assets 22.6% – 27.9%
Debt / equity 0.5x – 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x – 1.4x
Debt / FCF 2.2x – 3.0x
Liabilities / assets 58.7% 26.2% 56.5%
Equity / assets 41.3% 73.8% 43.5%
Interest coverage 25.6x – 15.9x
Current ratio 1.0x 3.2x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.7x 2.5x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.3x 2.0x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 5.47 13.25 3.43

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricJNJVRTXAZN
Dividend yield 2.0% – 1.4%
Net buyback yield 0.6% 1.4% 0.0%
Shareholder yield 2.6% 1.4% 1.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 79.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 61.8% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.9% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.0% – –

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.

ConsensusJNJVRTXAZN
Forward P/E 25.1xFY2026 28.6xFY2026 17.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.72FY2026 $18.24FY2026 $10.00FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -0.6%FY2026 -0.9%FY2026 +9.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.9% +23.0% +6.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $106.54BFY2026 $12.67BFY2026 $59.02BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.1%FY2026 +5.8%FY2026 +0.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.0% +18.8% +8.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersJNJVRTXAZN
Held by institutions 74.7% 95.1% 52.1%
Institutions holding 4,690 1,745 1,496
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.8% +3.9% +7.8%
Institutions buying 2,293 902 808
Institutions selling 1,895 605 468
Buyers to sellers 1.21 1.49 1.73

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.

JNJVRTXAZN
JNJ 1.00 0.39 0.48
VRTX 0.39 1.00 0.44
AZN 0.48 0.44 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, JNJ, VRTX and AZN?

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is the largest by market capitalisation: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $648.70B, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) $134.43B, Astrazeneca (AZN) $265.24B.

Which stock is cheaper, JNJ, VRTX and AZN?

Astrazeneca (AZN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 40.3x, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) 30.5x, Astrazeneca (AZN) 25.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Astrazeneca (AZN) is cheapest (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 25.1x, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) 28.6x, Astrazeneca (AZN) 17.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +7.8%, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) +10.2%, Astrazeneca (AZN) +9.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) has the highest net margin (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 16.2%, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) 35.0%, Astrazeneca (AZN) 17.8%). On return on invested capital, Astrazeneca (AZN) leads (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 17.6%, Astrazeneca (AZN) 23.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) returned the most: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +41.2%, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) +24.0%, Astrazeneca (AZN) +1.1%. Over five years, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) compounded fastest (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +10.5%/yr, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) +23.4%/yr, Astrazeneca (AZN) +6.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 0.02%, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) 0.00%, Astrazeneca (AZN) 0.00%. Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) and Astrazeneca (AZN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has been the steadiest (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 20.9%, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) 29.0%, Astrazeneca (AZN) 27.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, JNJ, VRTX and AZN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) leads on 4. 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.