NVS vs. TMO: Novartis vs. Thermo Fisher Scientific Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Novartis (NVS) and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but NVS is classified in Pharmaceuticals while TMO is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services.

Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) trades as ordinary local shares, while Novartis (NVS) 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 Novartis (NVS) at 30.35% and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 13.52% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 22.50% and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 15.04% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 34.62% and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 18.75% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Novartis (NVS) at 9.57% and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 3.91% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 21.81% and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 7.32% 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 Novartis (NVS) at 0.86 and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 1.55 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 1.17 and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 0.81 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 3.08% and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 0.30% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 71.60% and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 9.69% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Both Novartis (NVS) at 22.79 and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 31.65 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

On P/S ratio, both Novartis (NVS) at 5.06 and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 4.69 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

On P/B ratio, both Novartis (NVS) at 6.90 and Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) at 4.13 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

Valuation Metrics