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ELAN vs. NVO: Elanco Animal Health vs. Novo Nordisk Stock Comparison

How do Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) 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

Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) are both classified in the Pharmaceuticals sub-industry within the broader Pharmaceuticals industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) trades as ordinary local shares, while Novo Nordisk (NVO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
Profile ItemELANNVO
NameElanco Animal Health IncorporatedNovo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesDenmark
GICS SectorHealth CareHealth Care
GICS Industry GroupPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life SciencesPharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS IndustryPharmaceuticalsPharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-IndustryPharmaceuticalsPharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization12.86 billion USD177.74 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateSeptember 20, 2018April 30, 1981
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ELAN
NVO
GSPC
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO), 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 Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
MetricELANNVO
Total Return (1Y)24.03%-5.29%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)37.47%-23.41%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-4.24%-4.13%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ELAN
NVO
GSPC
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO), 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 Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) has an aggressive beta of 1.65, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Novo Nordisk (NVO) is defensive at 0.67 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
MetricELANNVO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)43.57%45.98%
Beta (5Y)1.650.67
Max Drawdown (5Y)-75.59%-74.70%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.65M12.11M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ELAN and NVO 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 Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
MetricELANNVO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.45-0.21
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.66-0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Novo Nordisk (NVO) earns 58.38% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) has no ROE this period.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

--

Max
109.18%
Q3
6.23%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
ELAN
--

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

58.38%

Max
109.18%
NVO
58.38%
Q3
6.23%
Median
-26.66%
Q1
-64.05%
Min
-167.77%
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): ELAN does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; NVO is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) reports a negative net margin of -2.86%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Novo Nordisk (NVO) reports 33.92%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

-2.86%

Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
ELAN
-2.86%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

33.92%

NVO
33.92%
Max
18.05%
Q3
4.78%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-4.14%
Min
-17.05%
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): A comparison of their net margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 40.05% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) at 6.64%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.64%

Max
83.12%
Q3
14.77%
ELAN
6.64%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

40.05%

Max
83.12%
NVO
40.05%
Q3
14.77%
Median
0.00%
Q1
-78.82%
Min
-207.40%
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
MetricELANNVO
ROE (TTM)--58.38%
ROA (TTM)--19.05%
Net Margin (TTM)-2.86%33.92%
Operating Margin (TTM)6.64%40.05%
Gross Margin (TTM)56.18%83.33%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) at 6.22% and Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 6.43% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 1.77% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) at -169.12% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
MetricELANNVO
Revenue Growth (YoY)6.22%6.43%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)2.25%20.43%
EPS Growth (YoY)-169.12%1.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--23.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Novo Nordisk (NVO) shows current ratio of 0.85 against its industry benchmark, while Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) has no reading this period.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

--

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
Min
0.10
ELAN
--

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.85

Max
25.13
Q3
12.13
Median
5.52
Q1
2.47
NVO
0.85
Min
0.10
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): ELAN does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; NVO is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) at 0.64 and Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.62 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.64

Max
1.42
Q3
0.65
ELAN
0.64
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.62

Max
1.42
Q3
0.65
NVO
0.62
Median
0.15
Q1
0.02
Min
0.00
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
MetricELANNVO
Current Ratio (MRQ)--0.85
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.640.62
Net Debt / EBITDA3.490.49

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Novo Nordisk (NVO) reports a yield of 29.03%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

ELAN
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

29.03%

NVO
29.03%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Novo Nordisk (NVO) reports a payout of 45.36%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.00%

ELAN
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

45.36%

NVO
45.36%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
MetricELANNVO
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%29.03%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%45.36%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Novo Nordisk (NVO) trades at 10.18 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) has no P/E ratio this period.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

--

Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
Min
0.07
ELAN
--

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

10.18

Max
85.34
Q3
43.46
Median
26.69
Q1
13.30
NVO
10.18
Min
0.07
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): ELAN does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; NVO is benchmarked against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) at 2.50 and Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.53 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

2.50

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
ELAN
2.50
Min
0.01

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.53

Max
58.18
Q3
25.77
Median
7.30
Q1
3.01
NVO
0.53
Min
0.01
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Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): 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 Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) at 1.95 and Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 5.43 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ELAN

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.95

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
Median
3.25
ELAN
1.95
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59

NVO

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

5.43

Max
13.53
Q3
6.54
NVO
5.43
Median
3.25
Q1
1.69
Min
-5.59
Loading chart…
Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) vs. Novo Nordisk (NVO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Elanco Animal Health (ELAN) and Novo Nordisk (NVO)
MetricELANNVO
P/E Ratio (TTM)--10.18
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.500.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.955.43
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)--18.43%