ABBV vs. GOOGL: AbbVie vs. Alphabet Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

AbbVie (ABBV) is classified in the Health Care sector (Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences), whereas Alphabet (GOOGL) belongs to Communication Services (Media & Entertainment) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Profile Item	ABBV	GOOGL
Name	AbbVie Inc.	Alphabet Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Communication Services
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Media & Entertainment
GICS Industry	Biotechnology	Interactive Media & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Biotechnology	Interactive Media & Services
Market Capitalization	514.92 billion USD	3,501.09 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 2013	August 19, 2004
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ABBV

GOOGL

GSPC

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Metric	ABBV	GOOGL
Total Return (1Y)	37.33%	4.89%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	32.74%	31.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.73%	14.61%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ABBV

GOOGL

GSPC

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Metric	ABBV	GOOGL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.65%	33.67%
Beta (5Y)	0.21	1.20
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-21.92%	-44.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	4.76M	28.79M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ABBV and GOOGL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Metric	ABBV	GOOGL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.29	0.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.02	0.03

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Alphabet (GOOGL) earns 44.29% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; AbbVie (ABBV) has no ROE this period.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

Max: 109.18%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%
ABBV: --

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

44.29%

Max: 49.92%
GOOGL: 44.29%
Q3: 17.95%
Median: 7.20%
Q1: -4.53%
Min: -26.31%

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): ABBV does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; GOOGL is benchmarked against the Media & Entertainment industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 50.03% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and AbbVie (ABBV) at 15.67% also retains a top-quartile share.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

15.67%

Max: 18.05%
ABBV: 15.67%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

50.03%

GOOGL: 50.03%
Max: 32.91%
Q3: 11.75%
Median: 5.04%
Q1: -4.17%
Min: -25.14%

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both AbbVie (ABBV) at 39.59% and Alphabet (GOOGL) at 31.81% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

39.59%

Max: 83.12%
ABBV: 39.59%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

31.81%

Max: 40.16%
GOOGL: 31.81%
Q3: 18.72%
Median: 8.63%
Q1: 1.90%
Min: -22.08%

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Metric	ABBV	GOOGL
ROE (TTM)	--	44.29%
ROA (TTM)	10.74%	12.74%
Net Margin (TTM)	15.67%	50.03%
Operating Margin (TTM)	39.59%	31.81%
Gross Margin (TTM)	73.72%	60.86%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 15.09% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while AbbVie (ABBV) at 8.57% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GOOGL.

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both AbbVie (ABBV) at -0.84% and Alphabet (GOOGL) at 34.45% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Metric	ABBV	GOOGL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.57%	15.09%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	1.75%	12.51%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-0.84%	34.45%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-29.03%	33.34%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 2.79 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while AbbVie (ABBV) at 0.87 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.87

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
ABBV: 0.87
Min: 0.10

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

2.79

Max: 4.69
GOOGL: 2.79
Q3: 2.53
Median: 1.52
Q1: 0.95
Min: 0.28

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Alphabet (GOOGL) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22 against its industry range, while AbbVie (ABBV) reports no figure this period.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00
ABBV: --

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.22

Max: 3.65
Q3: 1.69
Median: 0.46
GOOGL: 0.22
Q1: 0.17
Min: 0.00

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): ABBV does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; GOOGL is benchmarked against the Media & Entertainment industry group.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Metric	ABBV	GOOGL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.87	2.79
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.22
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.21	-0.62

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 0.30% pays an industry-typical yield; AbbVie (ABBV) at 2.40% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.40%

ABBV: 2.40%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.30%

Max: 1.33%
Q3: 0.65%
GOOGL: 0.30%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

AbbVie (ABBV) reports payout ratio above 100% at 117.35%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Alphabet (GOOGL) reports 4.49%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

117.35%

ABBV: 117.35%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

4.49%

Max: 71.43%
Q3: 28.98%
GOOGL: 4.49%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Metric	ABBV	GOOGL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.40%	0.30%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	117.35%	4.49%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 14.87 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while AbbVie (ABBV) at 50.05 sits in the richer quartile — ABBV needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

50.05

Max: 85.34
ABBV: 50.05
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

14.87

Max: 51.21
Q3: 28.90
Median: 17.98
GOOGL: 14.87
Q1: 11.53
Min: 1.64

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

AbbVie (ABBV) at 7.80 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Alphabet (GOOGL) at 7.43 sits in the pricier quartile — GOOGL costs more per dollar of sales.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

7.80

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
ABBV: 7.80
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

7.43

GOOGL: 7.43
Max: 7.43
Q3: 3.82
Median: 1.40
Q1: 0.70
Min: 0.00

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

AbbVie (ABBV) reports a negative P/B ratio of -112.34, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Alphabet (GOOGL) reports 5.31, ranking against industry peers normally.

ABBV

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

-112.34

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59
ABBV: -112.34

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

5.31

Max: 11.45
GOOGL: 5.31
Q3: 5.30
Median: 1.84
Q1: 0.77
Min: -2.61

AbbVie (ABBV) vs. Alphabet (GOOGL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences and Media & Entertainment industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AbbVie (ABBV) and Alphabet (GOOGL)
Metric	ABBV	GOOGL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	50.05	14.87
P/S Ratio (TTM)	7.80	7.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	-112.34	5.31
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.44%	-0.03%