AMGN vs VRTX
Amgen and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- AMGNBuy more12%
Amgen's report on Nov 3 beat profit forecasts by 12%, and it pays a 2.2% dividend that it has raised for 15 years in a row.
- VRTXBuy moresales growth, past year10%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals' sales grew 10% over the past year, and three more analysts rate it a buy than three months ago.
Percent return
- AMGN+42.15%
- VRTX+27.45%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: AMGN $198B, VRTX $122B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: AMGN +8.2%, VRTX +10%. VRTX is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: AMGN $19, VRTX $29. AMGN is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: AMGN 34¢, VRTX 38¢. VRTX is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: AMGN −$40.8B, VRTX +$3.34B. VRTX is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: AMGN +42%, VRTX +27%. AMGN is ahead. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: AMGN 32%, VRTX 28%. VRTX is ahead.
| Measure | AMGNAmgen | VRTXVertex Pharmaceuticals |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $468.25 | $547.18 |
| Today | Best in this row: +0.65% | −0.13% |
| 1 month | Best in this row: +12.83% | +7.24% |
| 3 months | Best in this row: +13.68% | +3.31% |
| This year | Best in this row: +45.94% | +20.66% |
| 1 year | Best in this row: +42.15% | +27.45% |
| 5 years | +158.51% | Best in this row: +194.31% |
| From 52-week high | −2.1% | −2.1% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | 32% | Best in this row: 28% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $198B | $122B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | Best in this row: 25.5× | 28.6× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | Best in this row: 19.0× | 29.0× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | 4.17× | Best in this row: 2.11× |
| Price to sales | Best in this row: 6.4× | 10.7× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | Best in this row: 26.0× | 43.3× |
| Company value vs operating profit | Best in this row: 16.4× | 26.5× |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | +8.2% | Best in this row: +10.5% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | Best in this row: +11.8% | +10.3% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | +31.1% | Best in this row: +546.5% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | +6.3% | Best in this row: +10.4% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | Best in this row: 72.5% | 54.8% |
| Kept as operating profit | 34.1% | Best in this row: 37.8% |
| Kept as final profit | 24.1% | Best in this row: 30.7% |
| Kept as spare cash | 24.6% | Best in this row: 24.7% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | Best in this row: 78.3% | 20.8% |
| Profit on all money put in | 20.5% | Best in this row: 23.1% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | −$40.8B | Best in this row: $3.34B |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | 3.76× | Best in this row: 0.31× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | 1.48× | Best in this row: 2.34× |
| Dividend yield | 2.19% | – |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | 58% | – |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Buy more | Buy more |
| Why | Amgen's report on Nov 3 beat profit forecasts by 12%, and it pays a 2.2% dividend that it has raised for 15 years in a row. | Vertex Pharmaceuticals' sales grew 10% over the past year, and three more analysts rate it a buy than three months ago. |
| Where the price sits | in the full report | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | 59 | Best in this row: 73 |
| Our value score | 57 | Best in this row: 60 |
| Our growth score | 52 | Best in this row: 74 |
| Our quality score | 75 | Best in this row: 90 |
| Our price trend score | 58 | Best in this row: 70 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Analyst consensus | Hold | Buy |
| To average analyst target | −4.0% | Best in this row: +12.6% |
| Average analyst target | $449.68 | $616.37 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | 32% | Best in this row: 81% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | −3 | Best in this row: +3 |
| Analysts covering | 25 | 22 |
VRTX: faster sales growth and more analyst upside
Our pick of these: Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Sales growth +10.5% vs +8.2%
AMGN +8.2%, VRTX +10.5%.+12.6% to the average analyst target, vs −4.0%
AMGN −4.0%, VRTX +12.6%.Keeps 37.8% of sales as operating profit, vs 34.1%
AMGN 34.1%, VRTX 37.8%.Where it loses: AMGN has a lower P/E per point of growth, 2.33 vs 2.77
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Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.