DHR vs. EXEL: Danaher vs. Exelixis Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL) 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

Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but DHR is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services while EXEL is classified in Biotechnology.

Company profile comparison for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Profile Item	DHR	EXEL
Name	Danaher Corp.	Exelixis Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services	Biotechnology
GICS Sub-Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services	Biotechnology
Market Capitalization	161.86 billion USD	16.98 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	December 29, 1978	April 17, 2000
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

DHR

EXEL

GSPC

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL), 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 Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	DHR	EXEL
Total Return (1Y)	11.88%	74.98%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	6.67%	50.33%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-2.05%	31.10%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

DHR

EXEL

GSPC

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL), 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 Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	DHR	EXEL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	30.61%	34.17%
Beta (5Y)	0.76	0.41
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-43.31%	-35.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.94M	2.33M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DHR and EXEL 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 Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	DHR	EXEL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.25	2.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.35	3.23

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Danaher (DHR) at 8.19% and Exelixis (EXEL) at 44.32% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.19%

Max: 109.18%
DHR: 8.19%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

44.32%

Max: 109.18%
EXEL: 44.32%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their ROE against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Exelixis (EXEL) at 35.45% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Danaher (DHR) at 16.91% also retains a top-quartile share.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

16.91%

Max: 18.05%
DHR: 16.91%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

35.45%

EXEL: 35.45%
Max: 18.05%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Danaher (DHR) at 21.13% and Exelixis (EXEL) at 40.75% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

21.13%

Max: 83.12%
DHR: 21.13%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

40.75%

Max: 83.12%
EXEL: 40.75%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	DHR	EXEL
ROE (TTM)	8.19%	44.32%
ROA (TTM)	4.06%	23.52%
Net Margin (TTM)	16.91%	35.45%
Operating Margin (TTM)	21.13%	40.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)	59.36%	96.26%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Danaher (DHR) at 2.90% and Exelixis (EXEL) at 6.98% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Danaher (DHR) at -4.54% and Exelixis (EXEL) at 57.95% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	DHR	EXEL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.90%	6.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.67%	12.93%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-4.54%	57.95%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-19.44%	70.59%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Exelixis (EXEL) at 3.21 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Danaher (DHR) at 1.63 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for DHR.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.63

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
DHR: 1.63
Min: 0.10

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.21

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
EXEL: 3.21
Q1: 2.47
Min: 0.10

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Danaher (DHR) at 0.52 and Exelixis (EXEL) at 0.09 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.52

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
DHR: 0.52
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.09

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
Median: 0.15
EXEL: 0.09
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	DHR	EXEL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.63	3.21
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.52	0.09
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.68	-0.71

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Exelixis (EXEL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Danaher (DHR) reports a yield of 0.67%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.67%

DHR: 0.67%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Exelixis (EXEL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Danaher (DHR) reports a payout of 25.17%, ranking against industry peers normally.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

25.17%

DHR: 25.17%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

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

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	DHR	EXEL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.67%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.17%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Danaher (DHR) at 38.12 and Exelixis (EXEL) at 20.83 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

38.12

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
DHR: 38.12
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

20.83

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
Median: 26.69
EXEL: 20.83
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Danaher (DHR) at 6.32 and Exelixis (EXEL) at 6.80 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.32

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
DHR: 6.32
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.80

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
EXEL: 6.80
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Danaher (DHR) at 3.02 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Exelixis (EXEL) at 9.28 carries an above-peer premium to book — EXEL is pricier on assets.

DHR

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

3.02

Max: 13.53
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
DHR: 3.02
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

EXEL

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

9.28

Max: 13.53
EXEL: 9.28
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

Danaher (DHR) vs. Exelixis (EXEL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Danaher (DHR) and Exelixis (EXEL)
Metric	DHR	EXEL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	38.12	20.83
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.32	6.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.02	9.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.93%	4.47%