ABBOTT LABORATORIES vs VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC / MA, two Drug Manufacturers stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Abbott is a healthcare conglomerate, devices to diagnostics to infant formula, earning a 12.1% operating margin on breadth; Vertex is a rifle shot, a cystic-fibrosis franchise with a research engine attached, earning 38.1% on focus. The concentrated model wins every line here: 35.5% net margin against 13.9%, 16.4% return on assets against 5.7%, no debt against 0.65 turns. The market prices them within three multiple turns, 29.2 and 26.3 times, effectively charging nothing extra for Vertex's superior economics because concentration is itself the risk, one franchise, one payer conversation, one pipeline to refill. Abbott pays a 2.6% dividend; Vertex retains everything behind a 3 current ratio. Breadth priced as safety, focus priced as danger, margins ignored in both directions.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | ABT | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $93.86 | $491.10 |
| Market cap | $164.0B | $125.9B |
| Sector | Drug Manufacturers | Drug Manufacturers |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +8.8% | +19.8% |
| P/E | 26.3 | 29.1 |
| P/B | 3.11 | 6.50 |
| P/S | 3.63 | 10.30 |
| EV/EBITDA | 20.8 | 24.6 |
| Revenue growth | +6.6% | +10.1% |
| Operating margin | 12.1% | 38.1% |
| Net margin | 13.9% | 35.5% |
| Return on equity | 11.9% | 22.4% |
| Return on assets | 5.7% | 16.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 6.6% | 19.9% |
| FCF yield | 4.5% | 3.0% |
| Dividend yield | 2.6% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.65 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.39 | 3.02 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.16 | 7.73 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.