ACAD
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.
ACAD has the edge over NVO overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
NVO
Novo Nordisk A/S
NVO trails on the overall score without a compensating advantage in the available component scores.
ACAD Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
ACAD's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
NVO Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy |
NVO's revenue, profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its cash flow is stable.
ACAD PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 8.6x | $18.14 | — |
| Cheap | 9.8x | $20.70 | +14% |
| Fair | 16x | $33.30 | +84% |
| Forward | 17x | $18.14 | — |
| Expensive | 23x | $47.72 | +163% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ACAD has the edge over NVO in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
NVO PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 10x | $40.65 | — |
| Cheap | 14x | $53.56 | +32% |
| Fair | 27x | $103 | +154% |
| Expensive | 39x | $152 | +273% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
NVO's PE is 10x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
ACAD Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly deteriorating | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
ACAD has the edge over NVO on the outlook, with more favorable earnings and profitability expectations.
NVO Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Stable | |
| Growth | |
| Weakening | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect NVO's revenue to grow, but its profitability to weaken. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
ACAD Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.05 | -50% |
| Q3 2026 | $2.12 | +37% |
| Q2 2026 | $2.23 | +68% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.21 | +61% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.30 | +69% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.55 | +99% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.33 | +639% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.37 | +$1.38 |
| Q4 2024 | $1.36 | +$1.74 |
ACAD's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $2.12 over the past year, up 37% from the year before, and higher year over year for 15 quarters in a row.
NVO Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $3.89 | +4.9% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.07 | +17% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.42 | +1.8% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.47 | +10% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.71 | +24% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.49 | +18% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.36 | +21% |
| Q3 2024 | $3.15 | +27% |
NVO's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $3.89 over the past year, up 4.9% from the year before, and higher year over year every quarter since late 2020.
ACAD Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $342.3M | +23% |
| Q2 2026 | $308M | +16% |
| Q1 2026 | $268.1M | +9.7% |
| Q4 2025 | $284M | +9.4% |
| Q3 2025 | $278.6M | +11% |
| Q2 2025 | $264.6M | +9.3% |
| Q1 2025 | $244.3M | +19% |
| Q4 2024 | $259.6M | +12% |
ACAD's revenue has grown year over year for 16 quarters in a row: $342M last quarter, up 23% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 21% | +8.1 points |
| Q2 2026 | 12% | 0 points |
| Q1 2026 | -1.7% | -9.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 6.1% | -53 points |
| Q3 2025 | 13% | +0.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 12% | -0.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 7.9% | +0.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 59% | +44 points |
ACAD's operating margin was 21% last quarter, up 8.1 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the top of its range since 2019.
NVO Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $11.7B | +2.1% |
| Q1 2026 | $14.4B | +24% |
| Q4 2025 | $11.8B | -7.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $11.1B | +5.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $11.4B | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $11.6B | +19% |
| Q4 2024 | $12.7B | +30% |
| Q3 2024 | $10.6B | +21% |
NVO's revenue is growing: $11.7B last quarter, up 2.1% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 34% | -9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 62% | +12 points |
| Q4 2025 | 40% | -2.8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 32% | -16 points |
| Q2 2025 | 44% | +5.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 50% | +1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 43% | +2.2 points |
| Q3 2024 | 47% | +1.6 points |
NVO has the edge over ACAD on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
ACAD Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $10.3M | -86% |
| Q1 2026 | $28.8M | +42% |
| Q4 2025 | -$52.7M | -232% |
| Q1 2025 | $20.3M | -30% |
| Q4 2024 | $39.9M | -53% |
| Q2 2024 | $25M | +205% |
| Q1 2024 | $29.1M | +$47M |
| Q4 2023 | $85.4M | +$109.2M |
ACAD has burned cash in most quarters: $82M over the past year, down 48% from the year before.
NVO Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $6.3B | +73% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.8B | +20% |
| Q4 2025 | -$5.4B | -$4.7B |
| Q3 2025 | $4.6B | -2.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.6B | -34% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.5B | +89% |
| Q4 2024 | -$632.6M | +$390.5M |
| Q3 2024 | $4.7B | +3.3% |
NVO has the edge over ACAD on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
ACAD Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +1.5% | +2.6M shares |
| 1 year | +2.8% | +4.8M shares |
| 3 years | +8.8% | +14.2M shares |
| 5 years | +13% | +20.1M shares |
ACAD has 175M diluted shares, up 2.8% from a year ago.
NVO Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.3% | -12.9M shares |
| 1 year | -0.2% | -11M shares |
| 3 years | -1.5% | -66.8M shares |
| 5 years | -3.8% | -177M shares |
| Available history | -6.5% | -311M shares |
NVO has the edge over ACAD on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $520M |
| Q1 2026 | $356.7M |
| Q4 2025 | — |
| Q3 2025 | — |
| Q2 2025 | — |
| Q1 2025 | $206.3M |
| Q4 2024 | $1.1B |
| Q3 2024 | $357.4M |
NVO spent $877M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 48% from the year before.
ACAD Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -2.4x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -3.9x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -3.0x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.5x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.0x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.9x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -1.3x | Net Cash |
ACAD has the edge over NVO on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
NVO Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q1 2026 | 0.7x | Very low |
| Q4 2025 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | 0.4x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.6x | Very low |
| Q3 2024 | -0.0x | Very low |
NVO's net debt is less than a year of its operating earnings (EBITDA).
ACAD Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 34.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 18.4 | Oversold |
ACAD's weekly RSI is 35 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 18 (oversold).
NVO Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 43.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 27.0 | Neutral |
NVO's weekly RSI is 43 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 27 (neutral).
ACAD PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | ACAD | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 8.6x | 26x | 67% below |
| PE % | 0 | 29 | 29 pts below |
ACAD has the edge over NVO on valuation relative to its sector.
NVO PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | NVO | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 10x | 26x | 60% below |
| PE % | 6 | 29 | 23 pts below |
NVO is trading at 10x earnings, a 60% discount to the Healthcare sector's median of 26x, though its earnings don't support one.
ACAD Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $19.9 | 8.8% below |
| 20 week MA | $24.4 | 26% below |
| 50 week MA | $23.8 | 24% below |
| 100 week MA | $22.2 | 18% below |
| 200 week MA | $21.6 | 16% below |
ACAD is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 16% below its 200-week average.
NVO Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $39.2 | 3.7% above |
| 20 week MA | $43.9 | 7.4% below |
| 50 week MA | $45.3 | 10% below |
| 100 week MA | $56.3 | 28% below |
| 200 week MA | $80.7 | 50% below |
NVO has the edge over ACAD on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
ACAD Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $44.0 | $55.0 | +25% |
| 2021 | $55.0 | $24.3 | -56% |
| 2022 | $24.3 | $15.5 | -36% |
| 2023 | $15.5 | $31.3 | +102% |
| 2024 | $31.3 | $17.0 | -46% |
| 2025 | $17.0 | $27.6 | +63% |
| 2026 YTD | $27.6 | $18.1 | -34% |
ACAD's yearly returns have swung widely, from +102% in 2023 to −56% in 2021. It's down 34% so far in 2026.
NVO Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $29.1 | $34.7 | +19% |
| 2021 | $34.7 | $54.2 | +56% |
| 2022 | $54.2 | $67.0 | +24% |
| 2023 | $67.0 | $103.5 | +54% |
| 2024 | $103.5 | $87.4 | -16% |
| 2025 | $87.4 | $52.4 | -40% |
| 2026 YTD | $52.4 | $40.7 | -22% |
NVO has the edge over ACAD on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.