A vs. NVS: Agilent vs. Novartis Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Agilent (A) and Novartis (NVS) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but A is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services while NVS is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

Agilent (A) trades as ordinary local shares, while Novartis (NVS) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Agilent (A) at 20.97% and Novartis (NVS) at 24.33% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

Agilent (A) at 19.53% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Novartis (NVS) at 17.49% also retains a top-quartile share.

Both Agilent (A) at 25.56% and Novartis (NVS) at 34.27% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Agilent (A) at 6.73% and Novartis (NVS) at 9.57% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Agilent (A) at 3.16% and Novartis (NVS) at 21.81% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Agilent (A) at 2.05 and Novartis (NVS) at 0.88 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Agilent (A) at 0.56 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Novartis (NVS) at 1.29 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both Agilent (A) at 0.59% and Novartis (NVS) at 2.88% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

Both Agilent (A) at 19.98% and Novartis (NVS) at 90.46% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Agilent (A) at 34.47 and Novartis (NVS) at 31.02 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

On P/S ratio, both Agilent (A) at 6.68 and Novartis (NVS) at 5.35 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Both Agilent (A) at 6.69 and Novartis (NVS) at 8.25 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics