GSK vs AZN Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
GSK and AZN are both UK-listed global pharmaceutical companies but at very different strategic momentum. AstraZeneca has executed one of the most impressive pharmaceutical company transformations in the past decade — becoming an oncology powerhouse with Tagrisso, Enhertu, Farxiga, and an impressive ADC pipeline driving above-sector revenue growth. GSK has Shingrix vaccine strength and ViiV HIV but faces Zantac litigation and a less dynamic oncology pipeline. AstraZeneca commands a significant premium but has earned it through consistent execution.
GSK vs AZN — GSK (the UK pharma company with blockbuster Shingrix shingles vaccine, ViiV Healthcare HIV portfolio, and Arexvy RSV vaccine, refocused after spinning off Haleon consumer health but facing Zantac litigation) versus AstraZeneca (the oncology-transformed UK pharmaceutical leader with Tagrisso, Enhertu ADC, Farxiga cardiovascular/renal expansion, and industry-leading growth trajectory toward $80B 2030 revenue target).
AZN holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. AZN has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+13.68% vs +8.79%), though GSK has the better forward P/E setup (9.82x vs 14.10x for AZN). On fundamentals, AZN is growing revenue faster (6.40%), while GSK maintains the higher operating margin (32.14%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for AZN (+32.92%) than for GSK (+21.41%).
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- value Shingrix's ongoing market penetration in adult vaccination with meaningful global expansion runway as the shingles vaccine standard of care
- see ViiV Healthcare's HIV long-acting injectable pipeline as a growing specialty pharma contributor with Cabenuva expanding HIV treatment access
- prefer GSK's more attractive dividend yield vs AstraZeneca's lower yield — GSK's income characteristics appeal to UK pharma income investors
- are comfortable with Zantac litigation uncertainty, less dynamic oncology pipeline vs AstraZeneca, and the post-Haleon strategic identity refinement required
- believe AstraZeneca's ADC platform (Enhertu and pipeline) represents one of pharma's most valuable oncology franchises with HER2-targeted therapies expanding across cancer types
- see Farxiga's multi-indication expansion (diabetes, heart failure, CKD) as a rare drug achieving clinical and revenue expansion across multiple disease states simultaneously
- trust Pascal Soriot's management track record of pharma transformation — 10+ years of consistent execution creating one of the most improved pharmaceutical companies among global peers
- are comfortable with premium valuation, China revenue concentration risk, and Enhertu competition as the ADC space attracts Roche, Pfizer, and other competitors
| Metric | GSK | AZN |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 42.5 | 53.7 |
| AI ranki | #1032 | #373 |
| Latest closei | $48.70 | $183.88 |
| 1M returni | +3.55% | +17.20% |
| 3M returni | -4.64% | +18.16% |
| 6M returni | -1.57% | +1.46% |
| 1Y returni | +8.79% | +13.68% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | GSK | AZN |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11.27K (+12.7%) started 2025-11-03 | $11.49K (+14.9%) started 2025-11-03 |
| 5Y ago | $17.35K (+73.5%) started 2021-11-04 | $17.58K (+75.8%) started 2021-11-04 |
| 10Y ago | $35K (+250.0%) started 2016-11-04 | $59.55K (+495.5%) started 2016-11-04 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | GSK | AZN |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $97.62B | $248.41B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 16.97 | 23.98 |
| Forward P/Ei | 9.82 | 14.10 |
| Price/Salesi | 2.91 | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | 3.52 | 4.50 |
| Analyst targeti | $59.12 | $212.90 |
| Target upsidei | +21.41% | +32.92% |
| Metric | GSK | AZN |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 4.00% | 6.40% |
| Earnings growthi | -22.80% | 2.50% |
| EPS growthi | -22.80% | +2.50% |
| FCF margini | +15.89% | +7.99% |
| Operating margini | 32.14% | 23.46% |
| Profit margini | 12.97% | 17.02% |
| ROIC proxyi | 28.27% | 21.96% |
| Return on equityi | 28.27% | 21.96% |
| Dividend yieldi | 3.70% | 2.00% |
| Payout ratioi | 63.33% | 45.38% |
| Dividend growth streaki | 2 yrs | 2 yrs |
| Betai | 0.28 | 0.20 |
| Debt/equityi | 129.63 | 64.22 |
| Current ratioi | 0.86 | 0.89 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.55 | 0.66 |
Over the past year, GSK and AZN have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.59), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | GSK | AZN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +8.79% | +13.68% |
| CAGRi | +8.80% | +13.69% | |
| Volatilityi | 25.66% | 28.34% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.28 | 0.44 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.42 | 0.65 | |
| Max drawdowni | 22.37% | 25.41% | |
| Current drawdowni | 18.29% | 11.86% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 9.88% | 10.63% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 11.99% | 13.51% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.64% | 6.88% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 7.81% | 14.82% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +38.66% | +58.75% |
| CAGRi | +6.76% | +9.69% | |
| Volatilityi | 24.51% | 25.10% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.21 | 0.32 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.30 | 0.45 | |
| Max drawdowni | 37.63% | 27.87% | |
| Current drawdowni | 18.29% | 11.86% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 13.33% | 10.12% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 15.83% | 12.40% | |
| Max daily dropi | 8.69% | 8.83% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 13.87% | 14.82% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +98.11% | +336.67% |
| CAGRi | +7.08% | +15.89% | |
| Volatilityi | 22.49% | 25.29% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.22 | 0.53 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.31 | 0.76 | |
| Max drawdowni | 37.63% | 27.87% | |
| Current drawdowni | 18.29% | 11.86% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 10.82% | 7.87% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 13.51% | 10.29% | |
| Max daily dropi | 11.04% | 14.91% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 17.31% | 16.45% |
| Category | GSK | AZN |
|---|---|---|
| Company | GSK plc | AstraZeneca PLC |
| Sector | Pharmaceuticals / Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Drug Manufacturers - General | Drug Manufacturers - General |
| Core business | GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline) is a global pharmaceutical company with strength in vaccines (Shingrix shingles vaccine, Arexvy RSV vaccine, Bexsero meningitis), HIV/infectious disease (ViiV Healthcare partnership), respiratory (Nucala, Trelegy Ellipta), and oncology. GSK separated its consumer health brands into Haleon (Sensodyne, Advil, Panadol) as an independent company in 2022, refocusing GSK on prescription pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Shingrix is GSK's blockbuster shingles vaccine with multi-billion dollar annual sales and high market penetration. | AstraZeneca is a global pharmaceutical company that has transformed itself into one of the world's leading oncology companies alongside strong cardiovascular, renal/metabolism, and respiratory drug portfolios. AstraZeneca's oncology franchise includes Tagrisso (lung cancer), Imfinzi (immunotherapy), Calquence (blood cancers), and Enhertu (ADC, breast cancer, co-developed with Daiichi Sankyo). Farxiga (dapagliflozin) in cardiovascular/renal disease is a major revenue driver also showing benefits in heart failure and CKD. AstraZeneca has been one of pharma's best-performing stocks over the past decade under CEO Pascal Soriot's transformation. |
| Investor focus | Investors focus on GSK's Shingrix and RSV vaccine sales trajectory, HIV portfolio revenue sustainability, oncology pipeline (dostarlimab, belantamab mafodotin), and Zantac litigation resolution. | Investors focus on AstraZeneca's oncology pipeline breadth (particularly ADC and KRAS-targeted therapies), Farxiga cardiovascular/renal expansion, China revenue contribution, and revenue growth trajectory toward the $80B 2030 target. |
- Shingrix shingles vaccine market dominance: Shingrix has 95%+ effectiveness vs prior shingles vaccines — market penetration remains meaningful globally with ongoing adult vaccination drives
- ViiV Healthcare HIV portfolio: GSK's majority stake in ViiV Healthcare provides exposure to the HIV treatment market with long-acting injectable HIV medications (Cabenuva) that represent a significant treatment advancement
- Arexvy RSV vaccine expanding: GSK's RSV vaccine for older adults received FDA approval — expanding the respiratory vaccine franchise beyond Shingrix into another large adult vaccine market
- Oncology platform breadth with ADC leadership: Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) co-developed with Daiichi Sankyo is revolutionizing HER2-positive breast cancer treatment — AstraZeneca's ADC pipeline is among the most advanced in the industry
- Farxiga multi-indication revenue expansion: Farxiga has expanded from Type 2 diabetes into heart failure (with and without reduced ejection fraction) and chronic kidney disease — a drug with expanding indication coverage growing revenue across multiple disease areas
- Decade of exceptional growth under Pascal Soriot: AstraZeneca's transformation from underperforming UK pharma to global oncology leader under CEO Pascal Soriot has delivered exceptional shareholder returns — demonstrating management execution capability
- Zantac litigation legacy liability: GSK has material Zantac (ranitidine) litigation exposure from cancer claims related to N-nitrosodimethylamine contamination — ongoing legal proceedings represent financial uncertainty
- Oncology pipeline behind AstraZeneca: GSK's oncology pipeline is less deep and less differentiated than AstraZeneca's impressive antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) and immunotherapy franchise
- Post-Haleon separation identity: separating Haleon's consumer health business simplified GSK but reduced the defensive earnings buffer that consumer health OTC brands provided
- China revenue concentration: AstraZeneca generates significant revenue in China — China-specific regulatory or pricing risks (VBP volume-based procurement) can impact overall results disproportionately
- Premium valuation reflects growth expectations: AstraZeneca trades at a significant premium to pharmaceutical sector peers — maintaining growth trajectory to justify premium requires continuous pipeline execution
- Enhertu competition: Roche, Pfizer, and other pharma companies are developing competing HER2-targeted ADCs — Enhertu's franchise face future competition as the ADC space becomes more crowded
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