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Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) Competitors

Novo Nordisk A/S logo
$46.02 +0.22 (+0.48%)
Closing price 05/8/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$45.87 -0.15 (-0.33%)
As of 05/8/2026 08:00 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

NVO vs. AZN, NVS, SNY, GSK, and TAK

Should you be buying Novo Nordisk A/S stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of Novo Nordisk A/S include Astrazeneca (AZN), Novartis (NVS), Sanofi (SNY), GSK (GSK), and Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK). These companies are all part of the "pharmaceutical products" industry.

How does Novo Nordisk A/S compare to Astrazeneca?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) and Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) are both large-cap pharmaceutical products companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, media sentiment, profitability, earnings and risk.

In the previous week, Novo Nordisk A/S had 46 more articles in the media than Astrazeneca. MarketBeat recorded 68 mentions for Novo Nordisk A/S and 22 mentions for Astrazeneca. Astrazeneca's average media sentiment score of 1.03 beat Novo Nordisk A/S's score of 0.56 indicating that Astrazeneca is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Novo Nordisk A/S
25 Very Positive mention(s)
13 Positive mention(s)
15 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
5 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Astrazeneca
16 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Novo Nordisk A/S has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Astrazeneca has a beta of 0.26, indicating that its share price is 74% less volatile than the S&P 500.

11.5% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 20.4% of Astrazeneca shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Novo Nordisk A/S presently has a consensus target price of $65.56, suggesting a potential upside of 42.47%. Astrazeneca has a consensus target price of $205.33, suggesting a potential upside of 12.38%. Given Novo Nordisk A/S's higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Novo Nordisk A/S is more favorable than Astrazeneca.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Novo Nordisk A/S
1 Sell rating(s)
18 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.13
Astrazeneca
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
12 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.85

Novo Nordisk A/S has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Astrazeneca. Novo Nordisk A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Astrazeneca, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Novo Nordisk A/S$46.80B4.39$15.51B$4.2610.80
Astrazeneca$58.74B4.82$10.23B$6.6627.43

Novo Nordisk A/S pays an annual dividend of $1.75 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. Astrazeneca pays an annual dividend of $4.34 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Novo Nordisk A/S pays out 41.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Astrazeneca pays out 65.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Novo Nordisk A/S is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Novo Nordisk A/S has a net margin of 37.23% compared to Astrazeneca's net margin of 17.19%. Novo Nordisk A/S's return on equity of 63.31% beat Astrazeneca's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Novo Nordisk A/S37.23% 63.31% 22.19%
Astrazeneca 17.19%30.86%12.68%

Summary

Novo Nordisk A/S beats Astrazeneca on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Novo Nordisk A/S compare to Novartis?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) and Novartis (NYSE:NVS) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, media sentiment, profitability, earnings and risk.

Novo Nordisk A/S has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Novartis has a beta of 0.46, indicating that its share price is 54% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Novo Nordisk A/S pays an annual dividend of $1.75 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. Novartis pays an annual dividend of $3.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Novo Nordisk A/S pays out 41.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Novartis pays out 44.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Novo Nordisk A/S is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

In the previous week, Novo Nordisk A/S had 47 more articles in the media than Novartis. MarketBeat recorded 68 mentions for Novo Nordisk A/S and 21 mentions for Novartis. Novartis' average media sentiment score of 1.15 beat Novo Nordisk A/S's score of 0.56 indicating that Novartis is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Novo Nordisk A/S
25 Very Positive mention(s)
13 Positive mention(s)
15 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
5 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Novartis
8 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Novo Nordisk A/S has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Novartis. Novo Nordisk A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Novartis, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Novo Nordisk A/S$46.80B4.39$15.51B$4.2610.80
Novartis$54.53B5.11$13.98B$6.9820.91

Novo Nordisk A/S presently has a consensus target price of $65.56, suggesting a potential upside of 42.47%. Novartis has a consensus target price of $141.20, suggesting a potential downside of 3.28%. Given Novo Nordisk A/S's higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Novo Nordisk A/S is more favorable than Novartis.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Novo Nordisk A/S
1 Sell rating(s)
18 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.13
Novartis
2 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.31

11.5% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.1% of Novartis shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Novartis shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Novo Nordisk A/S has a net margin of 37.23% compared to Novartis' net margin of 24.87%. Novo Nordisk A/S's return on equity of 63.31% beat Novartis' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Novo Nordisk A/S37.23% 63.31% 22.19%
Novartis 24.87%38.82%15.16%

Summary

Novo Nordisk A/S beats Novartis on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Novo Nordisk A/S compare to Sanofi?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) and Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, media sentiment, earnings, risk and valuation.

Novo Nordisk A/S has a net margin of 37.23% compared to Sanofi's net margin of 16.95%. Novo Nordisk A/S's return on equity of 63.31% beat Sanofi's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Novo Nordisk A/S37.23% 63.31% 22.19%
Sanofi 16.95%13.39%7.58%

Novo Nordisk A/S currently has a consensus target price of $65.56, indicating a potential upside of 42.47%. Sanofi has a consensus target price of $51.00, indicating a potential upside of 17.76%. Given Novo Nordisk A/S's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Novo Nordisk A/S is more favorable than Sanofi.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Novo Nordisk A/S
1 Sell rating(s)
18 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.13
Sanofi
1 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
3 Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

11.5% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 14.0% of Sanofi shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of Sanofi shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Novo Nordisk A/S has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sanofi has a beta of 0.35, indicating that its share price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500.

In the previous week, Novo Nordisk A/S had 59 more articles in the media than Sanofi. MarketBeat recorded 68 mentions for Novo Nordisk A/S and 9 mentions for Sanofi. Sanofi's average media sentiment score of 0.77 beat Novo Nordisk A/S's score of 0.56 indicating that Sanofi is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Novo Nordisk A/S
25 Very Positive mention(s)
13 Positive mention(s)
15 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
5 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Sanofi
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Novo Nordisk A/S has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Sanofi. Novo Nordisk A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sanofi, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Novo Nordisk A/S$46.80B4.39$15.51B$4.2610.80
Sanofi$47.35B2.23$8.84B$3.5812.10

Novo Nordisk A/S pays an annual dividend of $1.75 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. Sanofi pays an annual dividend of $1.76 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Novo Nordisk A/S pays out 41.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Sanofi pays out 49.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Summary

Novo Nordisk A/S beats Sanofi on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Novo Nordisk A/S compare to GSK?

GSK (NYSE:GSK) and Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, valuation, profitability, risk, dividends, media sentiment and earnings.

15.7% of GSK shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 11.5% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by institutional investors. 10.0% of GSK shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

GSK currently has a consensus target price of $53.00, indicating a potential upside of 5.20%. Novo Nordisk A/S has a consensus target price of $65.56, indicating a potential upside of 42.47%. Given Novo Nordisk A/S's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Novo Nordisk A/S is more favorable than GSK.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
GSK
3 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.90
Novo Nordisk A/S
1 Sell rating(s)
18 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.13

Novo Nordisk A/S has a net margin of 37.23% compared to GSK's net margin of 17.82%. Novo Nordisk A/S's return on equity of 63.31% beat GSK's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
GSK17.82% 44.28% 11.49%
Novo Nordisk A/S 37.23%63.31%22.19%

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
GSK$43.07B2.37$7.54B$3.8513.09
Novo Nordisk A/S$46.80B4.39$15.51B$4.2610.80

GSK pays an annual dividend of $1.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Novo Nordisk A/S pays an annual dividend of $1.75 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. GSK pays out 48.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Novo Nordisk A/S pays out 41.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Novo Nordisk A/S is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

In the previous week, Novo Nordisk A/S had 64 more articles in the media than GSK. MarketBeat recorded 68 mentions for Novo Nordisk A/S and 4 mentions for GSK. GSK's average media sentiment score of 1.19 beat Novo Nordisk A/S's score of 0.56 indicating that GSK is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
GSK
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Novo Nordisk A/S
25 Very Positive mention(s)
13 Positive mention(s)
15 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
5 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

GSK has a beta of 0.38, suggesting that its share price is 62% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Novo Nordisk A/S has a beta of 0.77, suggesting that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Novo Nordisk A/S beats GSK on 14 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Novo Nordisk A/S compare to Takeda Pharmaceutical?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) and Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, media sentiment, earnings, risk, dividends and analyst recommendations.

11.5% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 9.2% of Takeda Pharmaceutical shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Takeda Pharmaceutical shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Novo Nordisk A/S currently has a consensus target price of $65.56, suggesting a potential upside of 42.47%. Given Novo Nordisk A/S's higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Novo Nordisk A/S is more favorable than Takeda Pharmaceutical.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Novo Nordisk A/S
1 Sell rating(s)
18 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.13
Takeda Pharmaceutical
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

Novo Nordisk A/S has a net margin of 37.23% compared to Takeda Pharmaceutical's net margin of 2.58%. Novo Nordisk A/S's return on equity of 63.31% beat Takeda Pharmaceutical's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Novo Nordisk A/S37.23% 63.31% 22.19%
Takeda Pharmaceutical 2.58%10.60%5.21%

Novo Nordisk A/S has higher revenue and earnings than Takeda Pharmaceutical. Novo Nordisk A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Takeda Pharmaceutical, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Novo Nordisk A/S$46.80B4.39$15.51B$4.2610.80
Takeda Pharmaceutical$30.09B1.74$712.33M$0.2468.69

Novo Nordisk A/S pays an annual dividend of $1.75 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. Takeda Pharmaceutical pays an annual dividend of $0.50 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Novo Nordisk A/S pays out 41.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Takeda Pharmaceutical pays out 208.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Novo Nordisk A/S is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

In the previous week, Novo Nordisk A/S had 62 more articles in the media than Takeda Pharmaceutical. MarketBeat recorded 68 mentions for Novo Nordisk A/S and 6 mentions for Takeda Pharmaceutical. Takeda Pharmaceutical's average media sentiment score of 0.74 beat Novo Nordisk A/S's score of 0.56 indicating that Takeda Pharmaceutical is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Novo Nordisk A/S
25 Very Positive mention(s)
13 Positive mention(s)
15 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
5 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Takeda Pharmaceutical
4 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Novo Nordisk A/S has a beta of 0.77, meaning that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Takeda Pharmaceutical has a beta of -0.06, meaning that its share price is 106% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Novo Nordisk A/S beats Takeda Pharmaceutical on 15 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding NVO and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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NVO vs. The Competition

MetricNovo Nordisk A/SLarge Cap Pharma IndustryMedical SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$204.50B$290.40B$6.26B$22.98B
Dividend Yield3.82%2.81%2.78%4.01%
P/E Ratio10.8025.6920.7428.60
Price / Sales4.394.79534.44110.85
Price / Cash9.7712.4343.2925.08
Price / Book6.466.759.964.62
Net Income$15.51B$11.61B$3.55B$1.07B
7 Day Performance4.96%-1.39%3.48%0.47%
1 Month Performance22.99%-2.95%4.14%4.11%
1 Year Performance-30.01%22.77%41.80%28.53%

Novo Nordisk A/S Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
NVO
Novo Nordisk A/S
4.8302 of 5 stars
$46.02
+0.5%
$65.56
+42.5%
N/A$204.50B$46.80B10.8069,505
AZN
Astrazeneca
4.018 of 5 stars
$182.43
-2.3%
$102.67
-43.7%
N/A$283.64B$58.74B31.5096,100
NVS
Novartis
3.5991 of 5 stars
$142.64
-2.0%
$141.20
-1.0%
N/A$272.42B$56.67B19.9475,267
SNY
Sanofi
4.1637 of 5 stars
$45.44
-1.1%
$54.00
+18.8%
N/A$110.98B$49.35B12.7174,846
GSK
GSK
3.6648 of 5 stars
$50.54
-7.2%
$53.00
+4.9%
N/A$102.72B$32.67B13.6866,841

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This page (NYSE:NVO) was last updated on 5/9/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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