IQV vs. NVO: IQVIA vs. Novo Nordisk Stock Comparison

Company Profile

IQVIA (IQV) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but IQV is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services while NVO is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

IQVIA (IQV) 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.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both IQVIA (IQV) at 21.39% and Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 58.38% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 33.92% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and IQVIA (IQV) at 8.05% also retains a top-quartile share.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 40.05% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of IQVIA (IQV) at 13.73%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both IQVIA (IQV) at 5.87% 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.

Both IQVIA (IQV) at 4.67% and Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 1.77% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both IQVIA (IQV) at 0.83 and Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.85 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.62 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while IQVIA (IQV) at 2.40 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

IQVIA (IQV) 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.

IQVIA (IQV) 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.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 10.18 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while IQVIA (IQV) at 33.07 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for NVO, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

Both IQVIA (IQV) at 2.59 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.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 5.43 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while IQVIA (IQV) at 6.73 carries an above-peer premium to book — IQV is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics