A vs. RPRX: Agilent vs. Royalty Pharma Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Agilent (A) has more than two decades of public-market history since November 18, 1999, whereas Royalty Pharma (RPRX) listed on June 16, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

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 Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 12.09% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

Both Agilent (A) at 19.53% and Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 25.70% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

Both Agilent (A) at 25.56% and Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 81.32% 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 Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 5.06% 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 Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 23.09% 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 Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 1.29 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 Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 0.88 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both Agilent (A) at 0.59% and Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 1.37% 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 Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 60.46% 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

Agilent (A) at 34.47 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 43.99 sits in the richer quartile — RPRX needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

On P/S ratio, both Agilent (A) at 6.68 and Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 14.79 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Royalty Pharma (RPRX) at 4.39 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Agilent (A) at 6.69 carries an above-peer premium to book — A is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics