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AZN vs. VTRS: AstraZeneca vs. Viatris Stock Comparison

How do AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS) 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

AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS) are both classified in the Pharmaceuticals sub-industry within the broader Pharmaceuticals industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

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

Company profile comparison for AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
Profile ItemAZNVTRS
NameAstraZeneca PLC American Depositary SharesViatris Inc.
Country/RegionUnited KingdomUnited States
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life SciencesPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryPharmaceuticalsPharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-IndustryPharmaceuticalsPharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization289.14 billion USD22.83 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateMay 12, 1993March 17, 1980
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AZN
VTRS
GSPC
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS), 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 AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
MetricAZNVTRS
Total Return (1Y)12.64%108.98%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)15.75%36.75%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)10.63%11.59%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
MetricAZNVTRS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.21%32.53%
Beta (5Y)0.220.86
Max Drawdown (5Y)-27.87%-45.69%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.14M8.87M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AZN and VTRS 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 AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
MetricAZNVTRS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.303.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.445.63

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Viatris (VTRS) reports a negative ROE of -4.21%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile AstraZeneca (AZN) reports 22.57%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

-4.21%

Max
109.18%
Q3
6.23%
VTRS
-4.21%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Viatris (VTRS) reports a negative net margin of -4.13%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile AstraZeneca (AZN) reports 17.68%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

-4.13%

Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
VTRS
-4.13%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

AstraZeneca (AZN) at 29.57% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Viatris (VTRS) at 13.85%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

13.85%

Max
83.12%
Q3
14.77%
VTRS
13.85%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
MetricAZNVTRS
ROE (TTM)22.57%-4.21%
ROA (TTM)8.59%2.91%
Net Margin (TTM)17.68%-4.13%
Operating Margin (TTM)29.57%13.85%
Gross Margin (TTM)81.78%41.13%

Growth

Revenue Growth

AstraZeneca (AZN) at 8.63% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Viatris (VTRS) at -2.98% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: AstraZeneca (AZN) reports EPS growth of 45.33%, ranked against its industry; Viatris (VTRS) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
MetricAZNVTRS
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.63%-2.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.82%-4.20%
EPS Growth (YoY)45.33%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)45.80%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 1.01 and Viatris (VTRS) at 1.55 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.55

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
VTRS
1.55
Min
0.10
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 0.66 and Viatris (VTRS) at 0.99 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

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

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.99

Max
1.42
VTRS
0.99
Q3
0.65
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
MetricAZNVTRS
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.011.55
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.660.99
Net Debt / EBITDA1.232.64

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 1.73% and Viatris (VTRS) at 2.53% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

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%

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.53%

VTRS
2.53%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Viatris (VTRS) reports payout ratio above 100% at 960.00%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile AstraZeneca (AZN) reports 45.38%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

960.00%

VTRS
960.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
MetricAZNVTRS
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.73%2.53%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)45.38%960.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: AstraZeneca (AZN) trades at 26.37 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Viatris (VTRS) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

--

Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
VTRS
--
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): VTRS does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; AZN is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Viatris (VTRS) at 1.55 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while AstraZeneca (AZN) at 4.63 prices around its industry’s middle — VTRS costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

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

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.55

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
VTRS
1.55
Min
0.01
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AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Viatris (VTRS) at 1.67 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while AstraZeneca (AZN) at 5.59 is valued near its industry’s middle — VTRS is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

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

VTRS

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.67

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
Q1
1.69
VTRS
1.67
Min
-5.59
Loading chart…
AstraZeneca (AZN) vs. Viatris (VTRS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for AstraZeneca (AZN) and Viatris (VTRS)
MetricAZNVTRS
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.37--
P/S Ratio (TTM)4.631.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.591.67
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.95%13.84%