ARGX vs. AZN: argenx vs. AstraZeneca Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN) 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

argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but ARGX is classified in Biotechnology while AZN is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

Both argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN) trade as ADRs — their core financials are comparable, but keep FX, depositary-program fees, and dividend withholding in view for each.

Company profile comparison for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Profile Item	ARGX	AZN
Name	argenx SE American Depositary Receipt	AstraZeneca PLC American Depositary Shares
Country/Region	Netherlands	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Biotechnology	Pharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-Industry	Biotechnology	Pharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization	58.31 billion USD	289.14 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	May 18, 2017	May 12, 1993
Security Type	ADR	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARGX

AZN

GSPC

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN), 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 argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Metric	ARGX	AZN
Total Return (1Y)	11.91%	12.64%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	25.68%	15.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.22%	10.63%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ARGX

AZN

GSPC

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN), 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 argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Metric	ARGX	AZN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	37.87%	28.21%
Beta (5Y)	0.45	0.22
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-38.20%	-27.87%
Avg. Volume (3M)	359.84K	3.14M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ARGX and AZN are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Metric	ARGX	AZN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.20	0.30
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.31	0.44

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: AstraZeneca (AZN) earns 22.57% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; argenx (ARGX) has no ROE this period.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

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

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

22.57%

Max: 109.18%
AZN: 22.57%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): ARGX does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; AZN is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

argenx (ARGX) at 31.73% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and AstraZeneca (AZN) at 17.68% also retains a top-quartile share.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

31.73%

ARGX: 31.73%
Max: 18.05%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

17.68%

Max: 18.05%
AZN: 17.68%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both argenx (ARGX) at 36.27% and AstraZeneca (AZN) at 29.57% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

36.27%

Max: 83.12%
ARGX: 36.27%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

29.57%

Max: 83.12%
AZN: 29.57%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Metric	ARGX	AZN
ROE (TTM)	--	22.57%
ROA (TTM)	--	8.59%
Net Margin (TTM)	31.73%	17.68%
Operating Margin (TTM)	36.27%	29.57%
Gross Margin (TTM)	59.84%	81.78%

Growth

Revenue Growth

argenx (ARGX) at 89.64% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while AstraZeneca (AZN) at 8.63% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ARGX.

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both argenx (ARGX) at 53.13% and AstraZeneca (AZN) at 45.33% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Metric	ARGX	AZN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	89.64%	8.63%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	116.25%	9.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)	53.13%	45.33%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	45.80%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: AstraZeneca (AZN) shows current ratio of 1.01 against its industry benchmark, while argenx (ARGX) has no reading this period.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
Min: 0.10
ARGX: --

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.01

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
AZN: 1.01
Min: 0.10

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): ARGX does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; AZN is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

argenx (ARGX) at 0.01 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while AstraZeneca (AZN) at 0.66 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.01

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
ARGX: 0.01
Min: 0.00

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.66

Max: 1.42
AZN: 0.66
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Metric	ARGX	AZN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	1.01
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.01	0.66
Net Debt / EBITDA	-2.70	1.23

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

argenx (ARGX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile AstraZeneca (AZN) reports a yield of 1.73%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

ARGX: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.73%

AZN: 1.73%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

argenx (ARGX) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile AstraZeneca (AZN) reports a payout of 45.38%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

ARGX: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

45.38%

AZN: 45.38%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Metric	ARGX	AZN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	1.73%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	45.38%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both argenx (ARGX) at 32.12 and AstraZeneca (AZN) at 26.37 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

32.12

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
ARGX: 32.12
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

26.37

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
AZN: 26.37
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both argenx (ARGX) at 9.86 and AstraZeneca (AZN) at 4.63 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

9.86

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
ARGX: 9.86
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.63

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
AZN: 4.63
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

AstraZeneca (AZN) at 5.59 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while argenx (ARGX) at 172.23 prices above its benchmark range — ARGX looks rich relative to book.

ARGX

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

172.23

ARGX: 172.23
Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

AZN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.59

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

argenx (ARGX) vs. AstraZeneca (AZN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for argenx (ARGX) and AstraZeneca (AZN)
Metric	ARGX	AZN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	32.12	26.37
P/S Ratio (TTM)	9.86	4.63
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	172.23	5.59
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	1.95%