GSK (GSK) Competitors

GSK (NYSE:GSK) and Novartis (NYSE:NVS) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, profitability, media sentiment, earnings, dividends, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Is GSK or NVS a better dividend stock?

GSK pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. Novartis pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. GSK pays out 77.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Novartis pays out 37.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Do analysts prefer GSK or NVS?

GSK presently has a consensus price target of $37.38, suggesting a potential downside of 7.51%. Novartis has a consensus price target of $124.33, suggesting a potential downside of 4.18%. Given Novartis' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Novartis is more favorable than GSK.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
GSK	1 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	1.86
Novartis	2 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.11

Which has more volatility & risk, GSK or NVS?

GSK has a beta of 0.53, meaning that its share price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Novartis has a beta of 0.63, meaning that its share price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media refer more to GSK or NVS?

In the previous week, Novartis had 8 more articles in the media than GSK. MarketBeat recorded 27 mentions for Novartis and 19 mentions for GSK. GSK's average media sentiment score of 1.23 beat Novartis' score of 1.23 indicating that GSK is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
GSK	12 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Novartis	20 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is GSK or NVS more profitable?

Novartis has a net margin of 25.64% compared to GSK's net margin of 10.81%. GSK's return on equity of 49.22% beat Novartis' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
GSK	10.81%	49.22%	11.31%
Novartis	25.64%	41.08%	16.83%

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of GSK or NVS?

15.7% of GSK shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.1% of Novartis shares are held by institutional investors. 10.0% of GSK shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Novartis shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has higher earnings and valuation, GSK or NVS?

Novartis has higher revenue and earnings than GSK. GSK is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Novartis, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
GSK	$40.10B	2.05	$3.29B	$2.16	18.71
Novartis	$50.32B	5.45	$11.94B	$6.87	18.89

Summary

Novartis beats GSK on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.