Pfizer Inc. vs VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC / MA, two Drug Manufacturers stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Pfizer's balance sheet carries 0.71 turns of debt servicing a 7.1% dividend through the deepest trough in big pharma; Vertex carries nothing and pays nothing, a 3 current ratio banking a cystic-fibrosis monopoly's proceeds. The income statements are two eras of one industry: Vertex at a 35.5% net margin and 22.4% return on equity, Pfizer at 11.8% and 8.3% awaiting its next act. The market prices the difference at eleven turns, 29.2 against 18.5 times. Pfizer's 6.8% free-cash yield more than doubles Vertex's 3%. One page pays you richly to wait for a recovery; the other charges you well for never having needed one.
Comparison updated 2026-07-10.
| Metric | PFE | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.27 | $491.10 |
| Market cap | $139.1B | $125.9B |
| Sector | Drug Manufacturers | Drug Manufacturers |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -3.9% | +19.8% |
| P/E | 18.5 | 29.1 |
| P/B | 1.54 | 6.50 |
| P/S | 2.20 | 10.30 |
| EV/EBITDA | 30.6 | 24.6 |
| Revenue growth | +2.1% | +10.1% |
| Operating margin | — | 38.1% |
| Net margin | 11.8% | 35.5% |
| Return on equity | 8.3% | 22.4% |
| Return on assets | 3.6% | 16.4% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 19.9% |
| FCF yield | 6.8% | 3.0% |
| Dividend yield | 7.1% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.71 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 1.25 | 3.02 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.86 | 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.