ARGX vs. EXEL: argenx vs. Exelixis Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL) 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 Exelixis (EXEL) are both classified in the Biotechnology sub-industry within the broader Biotechnology industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Exelixis (EXEL) trades as ordinary local shares, while argenx (ARGX) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Profile Item	ARGX	EXEL
Name	argenx SE American Depositary Receipt	Exelixis Inc.
Country/Region	Netherlands	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Biotechnology	Biotechnology
GICS Sub-Industry	Biotechnology	Biotechnology
Market Capitalization	58.31 billion USD	16.98 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	May 18, 2017	April 17, 2000
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ARGX

EXEL

GSPC

argenx (ARGX) vs. Exelixis (EXEL), 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

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	ARGX	EXEL
Total Return (1Y)	11.91%	74.98%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	25.68%	50.33%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.22%	31.10%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ARGX

EXEL

GSPC

argenx (ARGX) vs. Exelixis (EXEL), 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

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	ARGX	EXEL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	37.87%	34.17%
Beta (5Y)	0.45	0.41
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-38.20%	-35.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)	359.84K	2.33M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ARGX and EXEL 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 Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	ARGX	EXEL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.20	2.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.31	3.23

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Exelixis (EXEL) earns 44.32% 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: --

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

44.32%

Max: 109.18%
EXEL: 44.32%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both argenx (ARGX) at 31.73% and Exelixis (EXEL) at 35.45% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

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%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

35.45%

EXEL: 35.45%
Max: 18.05%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

argenx (ARGX) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): 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 Exelixis (EXEL) at 40.75% 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%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

40.75%

Max: 83.12%
EXEL: 40.75%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	ARGX	EXEL
ROE (TTM)	--	44.32%
ROA (TTM)	--	23.52%
Net Margin (TTM)	31.73%	35.45%
Operating Margin (TTM)	36.27%	40.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)	59.84%	96.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

argenx (ARGX) at 89.64% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Exelixis (EXEL) at 6.98% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ARGX.

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

EPS Growth

Both argenx (ARGX) at 53.13% and Exelixis (EXEL) at 57.95% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	ARGX	EXEL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	89.64%	6.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	116.25%	12.93%
EPS Growth (YoY)	53.13%	57.95%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	70.59%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Exelixis (EXEL) shows current ratio of 3.21 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: --

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.21

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
EXEL: 3.21
Q1: 2.47
Min: 0.10

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

argenx (ARGX) at 0.01 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Exelixis (EXEL) at 0.09 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

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

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.09

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
EXEL: 0.09
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

argenx (ARGX) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): 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 Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	ARGX	EXEL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	3.21
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.01	0.09
Net Debt / EBITDA	-2.70	-0.71

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither argenx (ARGX) nor Exelixis (EXEL) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

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%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither argenx (ARGX) nor Exelixis (EXEL) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

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%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	ARGX	EXEL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both argenx (ARGX) at 32.12 and Exelixis (EXEL) at 20.83 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

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

20.83

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
EXEL: 20.83
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

argenx (ARGX) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): 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 Exelixis (EXEL) at 6.80 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

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.80

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
EXEL: 6.80
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Exelixis (EXEL) at 9.28 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and argenx (ARGX) at 172.23 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

9.28

Max: 13.53
EXEL: 9.28
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for argenx (ARGX) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	ARGX	EXEL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	32.12	20.83
P/S Ratio (TTM)	9.86	6.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	172.23	9.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	4.47%