Johnson & Johnson vs VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC / MA, two Drug Manufacturers stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Neither growth rate prints on this page, and the multiples barely distinguish the pair anyway: 29.5 times for Johnson & Johnson, 29.2 for Vertex, the same price per dollar of earnings for a $622B diversified institution and a $126B single-franchise specialist. The specialist earns better today, a 35.5% net margin against 21.8%, a 16.4% return on assets against 10.5%, debt-free against 0.68 turns. J&J answers with breadth across pharma and devices, a 2% dividend, and the durability only diversification buys. Identical multiples make the choice unusually pure: concentration with superior economics, or breadth with institutional permanence, at one price.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | JNJ | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $254.36 | $491.10 |
| Market cap | $622.0B | $125.9B |
| Sector | Drug Manufacturers | Drug Manufacturers |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +19.8% |
| P/E | 29.5 | 29.1 |
| P/B | 7.66 | 6.50 |
| P/S | 6.45 | 10.30 |
| EV/EBITDA | 326.8 | 24.6 |
| Revenue growth | +7.9% | +10.1% |
| Gross margin | 66.3% | — |
| Operating margin | — | 38.1% |
| Net margin | 21.8% | 35.5% |
| Return on equity | 25.9% | 22.4% |
| Return on assets | 10.5% | 16.4% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 19.9% |
| FCF yield | 2.9% | 3.0% |
| Dividend yield | 2.0% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.68 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.03 | 3.02 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.78 | 7.73 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
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.