NVO
Novo Nordisk A/S
NVO has slightly lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
VRTX
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
VRTX has a slight edge over NVO overall, supported by stronger fundamentals.
NVO Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Stable | |
| Healthy |
NVO's revenue, profitability and balance sheet are currently healthy, and its cash flow is stable.
VRTX Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong |
VRTX's revenue, profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are all currently healthy.
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 has the edge over VRTX in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
VRTX PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 23x | $360 | -34% |
| Fair | 28x | $429 | -21% |
| Forward | 29x | $543 | — |
| Expensive | 32x | $496 | -8.7% |
| Current | 35x | $543 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VRTX's PE is in its expensive range at 35x. On analysts' estimates for next year's earnings, today's price would be 29x, in its fair range.
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.
VRTX Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Stable | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly weakening | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect VRTX's revenue to grow, but its profitability to weaken. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
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 has the edge over VRTX on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
VRTX Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $18.81 | +21% |
| Q3 2026 | $15.53 | +8.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $17.17 | +22% |
| Q1 2026 | $16.85 | +$20.65 |
| Q4 2025 | $15.32 | +$17.40 |
| Q3 2025 | $14.30 | +$16.29 |
| Q2 2025 | $14.11 | +$16.14 |
| Q1 2025 | -$3.80 | -125% |
| Q4 2024 | -$2.08 | -115% |
VRTX earned $15.53 per share over the past year, up 8.6% from the year before.
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 VRTX on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
VRTX Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.4B | +12% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.3B | +12% |
| Q1 2026 | $3B | +7.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.2B | +9.5% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.1B | +11% |
| Q2 2025 | $3B | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.8B | +3% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.9B | +16% |
VRTX's revenue has grown year over year every quarter since late 2020: $3.4B last quarter, up 12% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 21% | -18 points |
| Q2 2026 | 37% | -1.4 points |
| Q1 2026 | 38% | +15 points |
| Q4 2025 | 38% | +2.6 points |
| Q3 2025 | 39% | -1.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 39% | +172 points |
| Q1 2025 | 23% | -20 points |
| Q4 2024 | 35% | -4 points |
VRTX's operating margin was 21% last quarter, down 18 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the bottom of its range since 2019.
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 VRTX on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
VRTX Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $545.8M | -52% |
| Q2 2026 | $1B | +9.3% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.3B | +66% |
| Q4 2025 | $348.6M | -29% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.1B | -12% |
| Q2 2025 | $927.4M | +$4.8B |
| Q1 2025 | $778.2M | -37% |
| Q4 2024 | $492M | +179% |
VRTX generated $3.2B in free cash flow over the past year, down 4% from the year before.
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 4.4B diluted shares, about the same as a year ago.
| 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.
VRTX Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | 0% | -- |
| 1 year | -0.9% | -2.4M shares |
| 3 years | -2.1% | -5.4M shares |
| 5 years | -1.7% | -4.5M shares |
| Available history | -2.6% | -6.9M shares |
VRTX has the edge over NVO on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $126.7M |
| Q2 2026 | $469.5M |
| Q1 2026 | $336.9M |
| Q4 2025 | $128.4M |
| Q3 2025 | $1.1B |
| Q2 2025 | $391.8M |
| Q1 2025 | $426.1M |
| Q4 2024 | $417.9M |
VRTX spent $1.1B buying back its own shares over the past year, down 54% from the year before.
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).
VRTX Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -1.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2024 | -2.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2023 | -2.6x | Net Cash |
VRTX has the edge over NVO on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
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).
VRTX Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 59.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 81.1 | Overbought |
VRTX's weekly RSI is 59 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 81 (overbought).
NVO PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | NVO | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 10x | 26x | 60% below |
| PE % | 6 | 29 | 23 pts below |
NVO has the edge over VRTX on valuation relative to its sector.
VRTX PE vs Healthcare Sector
| Metric | VRTX | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 35x | 26x | 35% above |
| PE % | 91 | 29 | 62 pts above |
VRTX is trading at 35x earnings, a 35% premium to the Healthcare sector's median of 26x.
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 bounced recently, but its long-term trend is still down: it's above its 8-week average, but 50% below its 200-week average.
VRTX Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $526.7 | 3% above |
| 20 week MA | $516.4 | 5.1% above |
| 50 week MA | $479.2 | 13% above |
| 100 week MA | $459.7 | 18% above |
| 200 week MA | $428.4 | 27% above |
VRTX has the edge over NVO on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
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 finished higher in four of the last six years, two of them by more than 50%. It's down 22% so far in 2026.
VRTX Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $221.0 | $234.5 | +6.1% |
| 2021 | $234.5 | $223.5 | -4.7% |
| 2022 | $223.5 | $289.7 | +30% |
| 2023 | $289.7 | $406.9 | +40% |
| 2024 | $406.9 | $408.8 | +0.5% |
| 2025 | $408.8 | $462.9 | +13% |
| 2026 YTD | $462.9 | $542.6 | +17% |
VRTX has the edge over NVO on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.