BIIB vs. ICLR: Biogen vs. ICON Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR) 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

Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but BIIB is classified in Biotechnology while ICLR is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services.

Company profile comparison for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Profile Item	BIIB	ICLR
Name	Biogen Inc.	ICON plc
Country/Region	United States	Ireland
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Biotechnology	Life Sciences Tools & Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Biotechnology	Life Sciences Tools & Services
Market Capitalization	36.71 billion USD	15.34 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	September 17, 1991	May 15, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BIIB

ICLR

GSPC

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR), 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 Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Metric	BIIB	ICLR
Total Return (1Y)	65.44%	30.55%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	4.62%	-6.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.96%	-5.40%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BIIB

ICLR

GSPC

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR), 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 Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Metric	BIIB	ICLR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.58%	68.62%
Beta (5Y)	0.08	1.17
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-64.35%	-76.87%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.05M	943.50K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BIIB and ICLR 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 Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Metric	BIIB	ICLR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.77	0.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.77	0.52

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Biogen (BIIB) at 1.87% and ICON (ICLR) at 4.70% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.87%

Max: 109.18%
Q3: 6.23%
BIIB: 1.87%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

4.70%

Max: 109.18%
Q3: 6.23%
ICLR: 4.70%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

ICON (ICLR) at 5.26% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Biogen (BIIB) at 3.38%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.38%

Max: 18.05%
Q3: 4.78%
BIIB: 3.38%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.26%

Max: 18.05%
ICLR: 5.26%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Biogen (BIIB) at 24.12% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of ICON (ICLR) at 10.73%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

24.12%

Max: 83.12%
BIIB: 24.12%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

10.73%

Max: 83.12%
Q3: 14.77%
ICLR: 10.73%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Metric	BIIB	ICLR
ROE (TTM)	1.87%	4.70%
ROA (TTM)	4.94%	0.85%
Net Margin (TTM)	3.38%	5.26%
Operating Margin (TTM)	24.12%	10.73%
Gross Margin (TTM)	75.77%	23.44%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Biogen (BIIB) at 2.22% and ICON (ICLR) at 0.76% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Biogen (BIIB) at -21.38% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while ICON (ICLR) at -71.56% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Metric	BIIB	ICLR
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.22%	0.76%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-0.94%	2.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-21.38%	-71.56%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-25.04%	-23.82%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Biogen (BIIB) at 1.95 and ICON (ICLR) at 1.32 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.95

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
BIIB: 1.95
Min: 0.10

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.32

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
ICLR: 1.32
Min: 0.10

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Biogen (BIIB) at 0.41 and ICON (ICLR) at 0.38 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.41

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
BIIB: 0.41
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.38

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
ICLR: 0.38
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Metric	BIIB	ICLR
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.95	1.32
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.41	0.38
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.97	5.55

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Neither Biogen (BIIB) nor ICON (ICLR) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Neither Biogen (BIIB) nor ICON (ICLR) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Metric	BIIB	ICLR
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on trailing earnings: ICON (ICLR) at 81.90 sits in the richer P/E ratio quartile, and Biogen (BIIB) at 107.51 is richer still, above its industry range.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

107.51

BIIB: 107.51
Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

81.90

Max: 85.34
ICLR: 81.90
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

ICON (ICLR) at 1.86 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Biogen (BIIB) at 3.57 prices around its industry’s middle — ICLR costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.57

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
BIIB: 3.57
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.86

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
Q1: 3.01
ICLR: 1.86
Min: 0.01

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

ICON (ICLR) at 1.68 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Biogen (BIIB) at 1.94 is valued near its industry’s middle — ICLR is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

BIIB

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.94

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
BIIB: 1.94
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

ICLR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.68

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
ICLR: 1.68
Min: -5.59

Biogen (BIIB) vs. ICON (ICLR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Biogen (BIIB) and ICON (ICLR)
Metric	BIIB	ICLR
P/E Ratio (TTM)	107.51	81.90
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.57	1.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.94	1.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.20%	3.51%