ASND vs. NVS: Ascendis Pharma vs. Novartis Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) trades as ordinary local shares, while Novartis (NVS) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

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 companies show strong equity returns, but Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 118.78% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Novartis (NVS) at 24.33% also sits in the top quartile.

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 70.85% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Novartis (NVS) at 17.49% also retains a top-quartile share.

Both Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 64.98% and Novartis (NVS) at 34.27% 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 Novartis (NVS) at 9.57% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for ASND.

Only one side can be read here: Novartis (NVS) reports EPS growth of 21.81%, ranked against its industry; Ascendis Pharma (ASND) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 2.99 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Novartis (NVS) at 0.88 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for NVS.

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 0.31 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Novartis (NVS) at 1.29 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Novartis (NVS) reports a yield of 2.88%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Ascendis Pharma (ASND) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Novartis (NVS) reports a payout of 90.46%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Ascendis Pharma (ASND) at 19.68 and Novartis (NVS) at 31.02 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 Novartis (NVS) at 5.35 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 Novartis (NVS) at 8.25 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics