MRNA vs VRTX
Moderna and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- MRNASell some130%
Moderna's report on Nov 6 beat profit forecasts by 130%, but the stock rose 11% over the past month, in step with other biotech stocks (up 12%).
- 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
- MRNA+841.65%
- VRTX+27.45%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: MRNA $23.7B, VRTX $122B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: MRNA +13%, VRTX +10%. MRNA is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: MRNA −81¢, VRTX 38¢. VRTX is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: MRNA +$3.75B, VRTX +$3.34B. MRNA is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: MRNA +842%, VRTX +27%. MRNA is ahead. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: MRNA 196%, VRTX 28%. VRTX is ahead.
| Measure | MRNAModerna | VRTXVertex Pharmaceuticals |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $248.80 | $547.18 |
| Today | −0.81% | Best in this row: −0.13% |
| 1 month | Best in this row: +10.53% | +7.24% |
| 3 months | Best in this row: +310.76% | +3.31% |
| This year | Best in this row: +743.30% | +20.66% |
| 1 year | Best in this row: +841.65% | +27.45% |
| 5 years | +10.13% | Best in this row: +194.31% |
| From 52-week high | −7.5% | −2.1% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | 196% | Best in this row: 28% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $23.7B | $122B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | – | 28.6× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | – | 29.0× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | – | 2.11× |
| Price to sales | 44.4× | Best in this row: 10.7× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | – | 43.3× |
| Company value vs operating profit | – | 26.5× |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | Best in this row: +13.1% | +10.5% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | −53.4% | Best in this row: +10.3% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | +6.6% | Best in this row: +546.5% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | Best in this row: +44.2% | +10.4% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | −42.0% | Best in this row: 54.8% |
| Kept as operating profit | −80.8% | Best in this row: 37.8% |
| Kept as final profit | −110.5% | Best in this row: 30.7% |
| Kept as spare cash | −78.0% | Best in this row: 24.7% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | −34.5% | Best in this row: 20.8% |
| Profit on all money put in | −46.3% | Best in this row: 23.1% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | Best in this row: $3.75B | $3.34B |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | 0.62× | Best in this row: 0.31× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | Best in this row: 3.62× | 2.34× |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Sell some | Buy more |
| Why | Moderna's report on Nov 6 beat profit forecasts by 130%, but the stock rose 11% over the past month, in step with other biotech stocks (up 12%). | 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) | 47 | Best in this row: 73 |
| Our value score | 50 | Best in this row: 60 |
| Our growth score | 48 | Best in this row: 74 |
| Our quality score | 37 | Best in this row: 90 |
| Our price trend score | 50 | Best in this row: 70 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Analyst consensus | Hold | Buy |
| To average analyst target | −41.6% | Best in this row: +12.6% |
| Average analyst target | $145.38 | $616.37 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | 17% | Best in this row: 81% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | −1 | Best in this row: +3 |
| Analysts covering | 20 | 22 |
VRTX: our only Buy more, with wider profit margins
Our pick of these: Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Keeps 37.8% of sales as operating profit, vs −80.8%
MRNA −80.8%, VRTX 37.8%.+12.6% to the average analyst target, vs −41.6%
MRNA −41.6%, VRTX +12.6%.81% of analysts rate it a buy, vs 17%
MRNA 17%, VRTX 81%.Where it loses: MRNA has faster sales growth, +13.1% vs +10.5%
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Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.