AVTR vs. GSK: Avantor vs. GSK Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK) 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

Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but AVTR is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services while GSK is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

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

Company profile comparison for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Profile Item	AVTR	GSK
Name	Avantor, Inc.	GSK plc ADR
Country/Region	United States	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services	Pharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services	Pharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization	10.48 billion USD	100.88 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 17, 2019	March 28, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AVTR

GSK

GSPC

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK), 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 Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Metric	AVTR	GSK
Total Return (1Y)	36.41%	13.73%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-5.02%	18.65%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-16.62%	7.97%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AVTR

GSK

GSPC

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK), 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 Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Metric	AVTR	GSK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.39%	26.25%
Beta (5Y)	0.94	0.31
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-82.42%	-37.63%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.56M	4.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AVTR and GSK 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 Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Metric	AVTR	GSK
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.74	0.36
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.17	0.56

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

GSK (GSK) at 28.27% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Avantor (AVTR) at 5.91% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for GSK.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.91%

Max: 109.18%
Q3: 6.23%
AVTR: 5.91%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

28.27%

Max: 109.18%
GSK: 28.27%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Avantor (AVTR) at 5.08% and GSK (GSK) at 12.97% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.08%

Max: 18.05%
AVTR: 5.08%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

12.97%

Max: 18.05%
GSK: 12.97%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

GSK (GSK) at 32.14% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Avantor (AVTR) at 8.19%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.19%

Max: 83.12%
Q3: 14.77%
AVTR: 8.19%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

32.14%

Max: 83.12%
GSK: 32.14%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Metric	AVTR	GSK
ROE (TTM)	5.91%	28.27%
ROA (TTM)	2.83%	9.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	5.08%	12.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)	8.19%	32.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)	31.59%	73.79%

Growth

Revenue Growth

GSK (GSK) at 4.11% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Avantor (AVTR) at -3.41% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

GSK (GSK) at 123.15% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Avantor (AVTR) at -175.00% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Metric	AVTR	GSK
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-3.41%	4.11%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-4.46%	3.66%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-175.00%	123.15%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-27.63%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Avantor (AVTR) at 1.89 and GSK (GSK) at 0.86 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.89

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
AVTR: 1.89
Min: 0.10

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.86

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
GSK: 0.86
Min: 0.10

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Avantor (AVTR) at 0.63 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while GSK (GSK) at 1.30 uses more debt funding than most peers.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.63

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
AVTR: 0.63
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.30

Max: 1.42
GSK: 1.30
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Metric	AVTR	GSK
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.89	0.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.63	1.30
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.40	1.88

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Avantor (AVTR) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile GSK (GSK) reports a yield of 1.57%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.57%

GSK: 1.57%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Avantor (AVTR) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile GSK (GSK) reports a payout of 63.33%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

63.33%

GSK: 63.33%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Metric	AVTR	GSK
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	1.57%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	63.33%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Avantor (AVTR) at 30.94 and GSK (GSK) at 17.54 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

30.94

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
AVTR: 30.94
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

17.54

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
GSK: 17.54
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Avantor (AVTR) at 1.58 and GSK (GSK) at 3.01 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.58

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
AVTR: 1.58
Min: 0.01

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.01

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
GSK: 3.01
Min: 0.01

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Avantor (AVTR) at 1.80 and GSK (GSK) at 4.02 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AVTR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.80

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
AVTR: 1.80
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

GSK

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.02

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
GSK: 4.02
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

Avantor (AVTR) vs. GSK (GSK): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Avantor (AVTR) and GSK (GSK)
Metric	AVTR	GSK
P/E Ratio (TTM)	30.94	17.54
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.58	3.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.80	4.02
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.21%	5.28%