JAZZ vs AXSM Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
JAZZ is an established specialty CNS pharmaceutical company with a dominant narcolepsy oxybate franchise facing generic competition, while AXSM is an emerging CNS company commercializing Auvelity as a novel major depressive disorder treatment. Both operate in the CNS specialty space but at very different stages of commercial maturity and with different pipeline dynamics.
JAZZ vs AXSM captures CNS pharmaceutical evolution — Jazz's established but challenged oxybate franchise versus Axsome's commercial ramp of a novel antidepressant in the massive depression treatment market.
JAZZ and AXSM are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. AXSM has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+143.46% vs +107.56%), though JAZZ trades at the lower forward P/E (8.77x vs 42.55x). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for JAZZ (+14.40%) than for AXSM (+10.37%).
- →Want established CNS specialty pharma exposure through narcolepsy franchise leadership and rare epilepsy with Epidiolex
- →Value Jazz's commercial infrastructure and distribution expertise across multiple specialty CNS and oncology products
- →Believe Xyrem-to-Xywav transition protects the oxybate franchise while diversification limits earnings concentration risk
- →Want early-stage commercial CNS pharmaceutical exposure to a novel MDD treatment in one of the largest psychiatric markets
- →See Auvelity's differentiated rapid-onset mechanism as enabling meaningful market share capture in the antidepressant market
- →Value Axsome's pipeline in additional CNS indications as providing multiple future commercial opportunities beyond MDD
| Metric | JAZZ | AXSM |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 41.1 | 69.3 |
| AI rank | #983 | #42 |
| Latest close | $224.66 | $250.50 |
| 1M return | -5.39% | +10.51% |
| 6M return | +36.22% | +69.26% |
| 1Y return | +107.56% | +143.46% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | JAZZ | AXSM |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $20.76K (+107.6%) started 2025-06-18 | $24.35K (+143.5%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $12.67K (+26.7%) started 2021-06-18 | $37.19K (+271.9%) started 2021-06-18 |
| 10Y ago | $15.57K (+55.7%) started 2016-06-20 | $406K (+3960.0%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | JAZZ | AXSM |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $14.11B | $12.89B |
| Trailing P/E | 2042.36 | N/A |
| Forward P/E | 8.77 | 42.55 |
| Price/Sales | 3.18 | 18.20 |
| EV/Revenue | 3.78 | 18.18 |
| Analyst target | $257.00 | $276.47 |
| Target upside | +14.40% | +10.37% |
| Metric | JAZZ | AXSM |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 19.10% | 57.40% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | N/A |
| EPS growth | N/A | N/A |
| FCF margin | +30.09% | -0.54% |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | 0.66% | -26.59% |
| ROIC proxy | 0.68% | -349.38% |
| Return on equity | 0.68% | -349.38% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Beta | 0.33 | 0.60 |
| Debt/equity | 119.52 | 402.84 |
| Current ratio | 2.04 | 1.39 |
| Quick ratio | 1.65 | 1.27 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | JAZZ | AXSM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +107.56% | +143.46% |
| CAGR | +107.66% | +143.61% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 2.03 | 2.24 | |
| Max drawdown | 11.42% | 18.50% | |
| Max daily drop | 6.42% | 6.50% | |
| Max wkly drop | 8.78% | 12.35% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +26.73% | +271.94% |
| CAGR | +4.85% | +30.05% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.17 | 0.66 | |
| Max drawdown | 47.09% | 72.91% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.47% | 46.50% | |
| Max wkly drop | 18.55% | 55.32% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +55.68% | +3959.97% |
| CAGR | +4.53% | +44.86% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.16 | 0.73 | |
| Max drawdown | 52.10% | 81.26% | |
| Max daily drop | 14.60% | 46.50% | |
| Max wkly drop | 18.79% | 55.32% |
| Category | JAZZ | AXSM |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc | Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. |
| Sector | Health Care - Specialty Pharmaceuticals | Health Care - Biotechnology / CNS |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | Jazz Pharmaceuticals develops and markets specialty pharmaceuticals for neuroscience (sleep disorders, epilepsy) and oncology, with its oxybate franchise (Xyrem/Xywav for narcolepsy) as the largest revenue contributor alongside Epidiolex (cannabidiol for rare epilepsy syndromes). | Axsome Therapeutics is a CNS-focused biopharmaceutical company commercializing Auvelity (dextromethorphan-bupropion) for major depressive disorder (MDD) and Sunosi (solriamfetol) for excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy and sleep apnea, with pipeline assets in additional CNS indications. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Jazz's oxybate franchise volume transition from Xyrem to lower-sodium Xywav, Epidiolex revenue growth in new indications, pipeline progress in sleep apnea and oncology, and the company's debt management following the GW Pharmaceuticals acquisition. | Investors track Axsome's Auvelity prescription volume and revenue ramp, Sunosi growth, and the ADVANCE program studying AXS-05 in additional indications, evaluating the commercial trajectory of its novel MDD treatment. |
- →Xyrem/Xywav oxybate franchise dominates narcolepsy cataplexy treatment with high switching costs from specialized REMS distribution program
- →Epidiolex is the first FDA-approved cannabidiol medicine with orphan drug exclusivity for two rare severe childhood epilepsy syndromes
- →Diversified CNS and oncology portfolio beyond the oxybate core reduces concentration risk from generic oxybate competition
- →Auvelity has a differentiated mechanism of action (NMDA antagonist + reuptake inhibition) and demonstrated rapid-onset antidepressant effect in clinical trials, addressing a significant unmet need for faster-acting MDD treatment
- →Major depressive disorder is one of the largest pharmaceutical markets globally, providing a massive addressable patient population
- →Sunosi partnership provides commercialization expertise and a sleep medicine prescriber relationship as Axsome builds its sales force
- →Generic sodium oxybate (Lumryz from Avadel) has been approved and represents competition to Jazz's oxybate franchise
- →GW Pharmaceuticals acquisition debt weighs on financial flexibility while the CNS and oncology pipelines require continued R&D investment
- →REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) distribution program for oxybate may create patient access challenges
- →Antidepressant market is highly competitive — gaining prescriber attention and market share from established SSRIs, SNRIs, and Spravato requires extensive physician education
- →Axsome is still early-stage commercially, with Auvelity launch costs weighing on profitability in early commercial years
- →Prior authorization and insurance coverage requirements create patient access challenges for new branded psychiatry products
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