ICLR vs. PCVX: ICON vs. Vaxcyte Stock Comparison
How do ICON (ICLR) and Vaxcyte (PCVX) 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
ICON (ICLR) and Vaxcyte (PCVX) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but ICLR is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services while PCVX is classified in Biotechnology.
ICON (ICLR) has more than two decades of public-market history since May 15, 1998, whereas Vaxcyte (PCVX) listed on June 12, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.
| Profile Item | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| Name | ICON plc | Vaxcyte Inc. |
| Country/Region | Ireland | 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 | 15.34 billion USD | 10.11 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | Nasdaq |
| Listing Date | May 15, 1998 | June 12, 2020 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | 30.55% | 59.00% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | -6.05% | 11.29% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -5.40% | 21.60% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 68.62% | 56.01% |
| Beta (5Y) | 1.17 | 1.26 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -76.87% | -76.22% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 943.50K | 2.12M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | 0.38 | 0.98 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | 0.52 | 1.76 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Vaxcyte (PCVX) reports a negative ROE of -42.68%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile ICON (ICLR) reports 4.70%, ranking against industry peers normally.
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%
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
-42.68%
- Max
- 109.18%
- Q3
- 6.23%
- Median
- -26.66%
- PCVX
- -42.68%
- Q1
- -64.05%
- Min
- -167.77%
Net Margin (TTM)
ICON (ICLR) at 5.26% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 0.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.
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%
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 18.05%
- Q3
- 4.78%
- PCVX
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- -4.14%
- Min
- -17.05%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Both ICON (ICLR) at 10.73% and Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 0.00% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.
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%
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 83.12%
- Q3
- 14.77%
- PCVX
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- -78.82%
- Min
- -207.40%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 4.70% | -42.68% |
| ROA (TTM) | 0.85% | -24.98% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 5.26% | 0.00% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 10.73% | 0.00% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | 23.44% | 0.00% |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Only one side can be read here: ICON (ICLR) reports revenue growth of 0.76%, ranked against its industry; Vaxcyte (PCVX) has no revenue growth figure this period.
EPS Growth
Only one side can be read here: ICON (ICLR) reports EPS growth of -71.56%, ranked against its industry; Vaxcyte (PCVX) has no EPS growth figure this period.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 0.76% | -- |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 2.15% | -- |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | -71.56% | -- |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -23.82% | -- |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 4.56 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while ICON (ICLR) at 1.32 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for ICLR.
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
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
4.56
- Max
- 25.13
- Q3
- 12.13
- Median
- 5.52
- PCVX
- 4.56
- Q1
- 2.47
- Min
- 0.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Both ICON (ICLR) at 0.38 and Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 0.09 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.
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
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
0.09
- Max
- 1.42
- Q3
- 0.65
- Median
- 0.15
- PCVX
- 0.09
- Q1
- 0.02
- Min
- 0.00
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 1.32 | 4.56 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | 0.38 | 0.09 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 5.55 | -- |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Neither ICON (ICLR) nor Vaxcyte (PCVX) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.
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%
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
0.00%
- PCVX
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Neither ICON (ICLR) nor Vaxcyte (PCVX) pays a dividend this period — they may reinvest, use buybacks, or simply not return cash through dividends.
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%
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
0.00%
- PCVX
- 0.00%
- Max
- 0.00%
- Q3
- 0.00%
- Median
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
An earnings multiple is available for just one side: ICON (ICLR) trades at 81.90 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Vaxcyte (PCVX) has no P/E ratio this period.
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
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
--
- Max
- 85.34
- Q3
- 43.46
- Median
- 26.69
- Q1
- 13.30
- Min
- 0.07
- PCVX
- --
P/S Ratio (TTM)
A sales-based read is only available for ICON (ICLR), whose P/S ratio of 1.86 ranks against industry peers; Vaxcyte (PCVX) reports no figure this period.
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
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
--
- Max
- 58.18
- Q3
- 25.77
- Median
- 7.30
- Q1
- 3.01
- Min
- 0.01
- PCVX
- --
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
ICON (ICLR) at 1.68 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Vaxcyte (PCVX) at 3.83 is valued near its industry’s middle — ICLR is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.
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
PCVX
Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group
3.83
- Max
- 13.53
- Q3
- 6.54
- PCVX
- 3.83
- Median
- 3.25
- Q1
- 1.69
- Min
- -5.59
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | ICLR | PCVX |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 81.90 | -- |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 1.86 | -- |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 1.68 | 3.83 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | 3.51% | -5.24% |