NVS vs. TAK: Novartis vs. Takeda Pharmaceutical Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Novartis (NVS) 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 Novartis (NVS) 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. Novartis (NVS) has a non-negative beta of 0.41.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Novartis (NVS) at 24.33% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 0.56% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for NVS.

Novartis (NVS) at 17.49% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 0.87%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 34.27% 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

Novartis (NVS) at 9.57% 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 Novartis (NVS) at 21.81% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for TAK.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both Novartis (NVS) at 0.88 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.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 1.29 and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 0.72 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both Novartis (NVS) at 2.88% 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 Novartis (NVS) reports 90.46%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Novartis (NVS) at 31.02 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 300.29 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for TAK’s trailing earnings.

Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 0.01 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Novartis (NVS) at 5.35 prices around its industry’s middle — TAK costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK) at 1.43 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Novartis (NVS) at 8.25 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.

Valuation Metrics