NVO vs. TAK: Novo Nordisk vs. Takeda Pharmaceutical Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) are both classified in the Pharmaceuticals sub-industry within the broader Pharmaceuticals industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) trade as ADRs — their core financials are comparable, but keep FX, depositary-program fees, and dividend withholding in view for each.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) reports a negative beta of -0.01, suggesting inverse market sensitivity over the measurement window. That is uncommon for ordinary equities and can reflect commodity-linked or hedge-like exposure, but it can also come from statistical noise. Novo Nordisk (NVO) has a non-negative beta of 0.67.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 58.38% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 0.56% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for NVO.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 33.92% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 0.87% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 40.05% and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 24.55% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 6.43% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at -1.66% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 77.96% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 1.77% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for TAK.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.85 and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 1.15 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 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 0.72 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 29.03% and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 953.28% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) reports payout ratio above 100% at 426.53%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Novo Nordisk (NVO) reports 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 Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 300.29 trades above its peer range — a wide earnings-valuation gap relative to industry peers.

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.53 and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 0.01 fetch a relatively low price per dollar of sales, landing in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 1.43 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 5.43 is valued near its industry’s middle — TAK is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

Valuation Metrics