ASND vs. ILMN: Ascendis Pharma vs. Illumina Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) and Illumina (ILMN) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but ASND is classified in Biotechnology while ILMN is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Illumina (ILMN) has an aggressive beta of 1.46, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Ascendis Pharma (ASND) is defensive at 0.38 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 118.78% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Illumina (ILMN) at 32.39% also sits in the top quartile.

Both Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 70.85% and Illumina (ILMN) at 19.72% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

Both Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 64.98% and Illumina (ILMN) at 20.02% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 98.03% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Illumina (ILMN) at -0.66% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Neither Ascendis Pharma (ASND) nor Illumina (ILMN) reports a EPS growth value for this period, so a direct comparison isn't possible.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 2.99 and Illumina (ILMN) at 2.63 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 0.31 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Illumina (ILMN) at 0.74 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Neither Ascendis Pharma (ASND) nor Illumina (ILMN) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

Neither Ascendis Pharma (ASND) nor Illumina (ILMN) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 19.68 and Illumina (ILMN) at 36.68 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 Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 16.14 and Illumina (ILMN) at 7.10 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Both Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 10.45 and Illumina (ILMN) at 10.30 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics