GOOGL vs. JNJ: Alphabet vs. Johnson & Johnson Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 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

Alphabet (GOOGL) is classified in the Communication Services sector (Media & Entertainment), whereas Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) belongs to Health Care (Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Profile Item	GOOGL	JNJ
Name	Alphabet Inc. Class A Common Stock	Johnson & Johnson
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Communication Services	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Media & Entertainment	Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
GICS Industry	Interactive Media & Services	Pharmaceuticals
GICS Sub-Industry	Interactive Media & Services	Pharmaceuticals
Market Capitalization	3,501.09 billion USD	664.95 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 19, 2004	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GOOGL

JNJ

GSPC

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), 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 Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	GOOGL	JNJ
Total Return (1Y)	4.89%	53.82%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	31.25%	27.51%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.61%	14.71%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GOOGL

JNJ

GSPC

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), 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 Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	GOOGL	JNJ
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	33.67%	21.23%
Beta (5Y)	1.20	0.21
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-44.32%	-18.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)	28.79M	6.93M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GOOGL and JNJ are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	GOOGL	JNJ
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.02	2.33
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.03	3.66

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Alphabet (GOOGL) at 44.29% and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 20.02% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

44.29%

Max: 49.92%
GOOGL: 44.29%
Q3: 17.95%
Median: 7.20%
Q1: -4.53%
Min: -26.31%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

20.02%

Max: 109.18%
JNJ: 20.02%
Q3: 6.23%
Median: -26.66%
Q1: -64.05%
Min: -167.77%

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 50.03% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 16.20% also retains a top-quartile share.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

50.03%

GOOGL: 50.03%
Max: 32.91%
Q3: 11.75%
Median: 5.04%
Q1: -4.17%
Min: -25.14%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

16.20%

Max: 18.05%
JNJ: 16.20%
Q3: 4.78%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -4.14%
Min: -17.05%

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Alphabet (GOOGL) at 31.81% and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 25.74% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

31.81%

Max: 40.16%
GOOGL: 31.81%
Q3: 18.72%
Median: 8.63%
Q1: 1.90%
Min: -22.08%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

25.74%

Max: 83.12%
JNJ: 25.74%
Q3: 14.77%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: -78.82%
Min: -207.40%

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	GOOGL	JNJ
ROE (TTM)	44.29%	20.02%
ROA (TTM)	12.74%	8.46%
Net Margin (TTM)	50.03%	16.20%
Operating Margin (TTM)	31.81%	25.74%
Gross Margin (TTM)	60.86%	67.78%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 15.09% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 6.05% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GOOGL.

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 90.50% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Alphabet (GOOGL) at 34.45% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for JNJ.

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	GOOGL	JNJ
Revenue Growth (YoY)	15.09%	6.05%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	12.51%	5.60%
EPS Growth (YoY)	34.45%	90.50%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	33.34%	17.90%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 2.79 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 1.02 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

2.79

Max: 4.69
GOOGL: 2.79
Q3: 2.53
Median: 1.52
Q1: 0.95
Min: 0.28

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.02

Max: 25.13
Q3: 12.13
Median: 5.52
Q1: 2.47
JNJ: 1.02
Min: 0.10

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Alphabet (GOOGL) at 0.22 and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 0.55 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.22

Max: 3.65
Q3: 1.69
Median: 0.46
GOOGL: 0.22
Q1: 0.17
Min: 0.00

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

0.55

Max: 1.42
Q3: 0.65
JNJ: 0.55
Median: 0.15
Q1: 0.02
Min: 0.00

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	GOOGL	JNJ
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.79	1.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.22	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.62	0.79

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 0.30% pays an industry-typical yield; Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 1.94% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.30%

Max: 1.33%
Q3: 0.65%
GOOGL: 0.30%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

1.94%

JNJ: 1.94%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Alphabet (GOOGL) at 4.49% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 80.12% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

4.49%

Max: 71.43%
Q3: 28.98%
GOOGL: 4.49%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

80.12%

JNJ: 80.12%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	GOOGL	JNJ
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.30%	1.94%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	4.49%	80.12%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Alphabet (GOOGL) at 14.87 and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 41.92 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

14.87

Max: 51.21
Q3: 28.90
Median: 17.98
GOOGL: 14.87
Q1: 11.53
Min: 1.64

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

41.92

Max: 85.34
Q3: 43.46
JNJ: 41.92
Median: 26.69
Q1: 13.30
Min: 0.07

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 6.69 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Alphabet (GOOGL) at 7.43 sits in the pricier quartile — GOOGL costs more per dollar of sales.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

7.43

GOOGL: 7.43
Max: 7.43
Q3: 3.82
Median: 1.40
Q1: 0.70
Min: 0.00

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

6.69

Max: 58.18
Q3: 25.77
Median: 7.30
JNJ: 6.69
Q1: 3.01
Min: 0.01

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Alphabet (GOOGL) at 5.31 and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) at 8.16 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

GOOGL

Media & Entertainment industry group

5.31

Max: 11.45
GOOGL: 5.31
Q3: 5.30
Median: 1.84
Q1: 0.77
Min: -2.61

JNJ

Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group

8.16

Max: 13.53
JNJ: 8.16
Q3: 6.54
Median: 3.25
Q1: 1.69
Min: -5.59

Alphabet (GOOGL) vs. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Media & Entertainment and Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Alphabet (GOOGL) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
Metric	GOOGL	JNJ
P/E Ratio (TTM)	14.87	41.92
P/S Ratio (TTM)	7.43	6.69
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.31	8.16
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-0.03%	2.78%