JNJ vs GSK Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Johnson & Johnson and GSK are both major global healthcare companies with vaccine and pharmaceutical operations, but Johnson & Johnson maintains a diversified US-based business spanning pharmaceuticals and medical devices, while GSK operates as a UK-based, more focused biopharmaceutical company following its consumer health business separation.
Johnson & Johnson offers exposure to a diversified healthcare business spanning pharmaceuticals and medical devices with a long dividend growth history, while GSK offers a more focused biopharmaceutical strategy centered on vaccines and specialty medicines following its corporate restructuring. Consider whether you prefer Johnson & Johnson's diversification or GSK's more concentrated post-separation strategy.
GSK holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. JNJ has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+36.73% vs +15.39%), though GSK has the better forward P/E setup (10.28x vs 21.78x for JNJ). On fundamentals, JNJ is growing revenue faster (6.60%), while GSK maintains the higher operating margin (30.94%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for GSK (+19.24%) than for JNJ (+1.66%).
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.
- Want diversified exposure to both pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Value a long-standing history as a dividend aristocrat with reliable income growth
- Believe diversification across multiple therapeutic areas reduces single-product concentration risk
- Prefer a US-based healthcare stalwart with a long operating history
- Want exposure to a leading global vaccine portfolio and infectious disease research expertise
- Believe a more focused biopharmaceutical strategy can improve capital allocation efficiency
- Value international diversification, particularly exposure to European healthcare markets
- Are comfortable with execution risk tied to the company's post-separation standalone strategy
| Metric | JNJ | GSK |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 49.9 | 42.8 |
| AI ranki | #339 | #954 |
| Latest closei | $263.81 | $50.75 |
| 1M returni | -1.99% | +2.09% |
| 3M returni | +0.16% | -0.27% |
| 6M returni | +15.96% | -5.08% |
| 1Y returni | +36.73% | +15.39% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | JNJ | GSK |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $13.71K (+37.1%) started 2025-10-23 | $11.96K (+19.6%) started 2025-10-23 |
| 5Y ago | $19.79K (+97.9%) started 2021-10-25 | $19.53K (+95.3%) started 2021-10-25 |
| 10Y ago | $38.13K (+281.3%) started 2016-10-24 | $35.69K (+256.9%) started 2016-10-24 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | JNJ | GSK |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $645.95B | $101.68B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 31.06 | 16.01 |
| Forward P/Ei | 21.78 | 10.28 |
| Price/Salesi | 4.18 | 3.06 |
| EV/Revenuei | 6.88 | 3.51 |
| Analyst targeti | $272.50 | $60.51 |
| Target upsidei | +1.66% | +19.24% |
| Metric | JNJ | GSK |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 6.60% | 5.30% |
| Earnings growthi | -0.90% | -69.50% |
| EPS growthi | -0.90% | -69.50% |
| FCF margini | +17.24% | +10.49% |
| Operating margini | 29.19% | 30.94% |
| Profit margini | 21.48% | 14.52% |
| ROIC proxyi | 25.74% | 33.38% |
| Return on equityi | 25.74% | 33.38% |
| Dividend yieldi | 2.00% | 3.58% |
| Payout ratioi | 80.12% | 56.55% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | 2 yrs |
| Betai | 0.23 | 0.28 |
| Debt/equityi | 57.71 | 106.50 |
| Current ratioi | 1.09 | 0.81 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.72 | 0.52 |
Over the past year, JNJ and GSK have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.52), 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 | JNJ | GSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +37.07% | +15.39% |
| CAGRi | +37.13% | +15.40% | |
| Volatilityi | 20.73% | 26.34% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 1.41 | 0.51 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 2.14 | 0.77 | |
| Max drawdowni | 10.96% | 22.37% | |
| Current drawdowni | 5.25% | 14.85% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 3.52% | 9.47% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 4.61% | 11.66% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.73% | 5.64% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 6.99% | 7.81% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +77.96% | +56.07% |
| CAGRi | +12.23% | +9.32% | |
| Volatilityi | 17.96% | 24.50% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.48 | 0.30 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.71 | 0.44 | |
| Max drawdowni | 18.41% | 37.63% | |
| Current drawdowni | 5.25% | 14.85% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 7.10% | 13.23% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 8.62% | 15.78% | |
| Max daily dropi | 7.59% | 8.69% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 9.18% | 13.87% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +193.36% | +98.36% |
| CAGRi | +11.37% | +7.09% | |
| Volatilityi | 18.99% | 22.44% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.43 | 0.22 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.60 | 0.31 | |
| Max drawdowni | 27.37% | 37.63% | |
| Current drawdowni | 5.25% | 14.85% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 6.44% | 10.78% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 7.99% | 13.47% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 11.04% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 13.25% | 17.31% |
| Category | JNJ | GSK |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Johnson & Johnson | GSK plc |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Drug Manufacturers - General | Drug Manufacturers - General |
| Core business | A diversified global healthcare company operating pharmaceutical and medical device segments, developing treatments across immunology, oncology, and neuroscience while manufacturing a broad range of medical devices used in surgery and other procedures. | A UK-based global biopharmaceutical company focused on vaccines, specialty medicines, and general medicines, following the separation of its consumer health business, with an emphasis on infectious disease and immunology research. |
| Investor focus | Pharmaceutical pipeline progress across key therapeutic areas, medical device segment growth, and dividend growth track record as a long-standing dividend aristocrat. | Vaccine portfolio growth and pipeline progress, specialty medicine revenue trends following the consumer health separation, and dividend sustainability as a standalone biopharmaceutical company. |
- Diversified business spanning pharmaceuticals and medical devices reduces dependence on any single product category or therapeutic area
- Long-standing history as a dividend aristocrat provides a reliable and growing income stream for shareholders
- Broad pipeline across immunology, oncology, and neuroscience supports multiple avenues for future growth
- Leading vaccine portfolio and research expertise provide a differentiated position in infectious disease prevention
- Focused biopharmaceutical strategy following the consumer health separation allows more concentrated capital allocation toward vaccines and specialty medicines
- Established international presence, particularly in Europe, supports geographic diversification
- Faces ongoing patent expirations across its pharmaceutical portfolio that require pipeline replenishment to offset revenue loss
- Medical device segment growth is tied to elective procedure volumes, which can be sensitive to broader healthcare spending trends
- Legal and litigation matters have historically created periodic overhangs on investor sentiment
- Standalone biopharmaceutical structure following the consumer health separation carries execution risk as the company builds its focused strategy
- Vaccine revenue can be more variable than steady prescription drug revenue, tied to public health demand cycles
- Faces ongoing patent expirations and competitive pressure across its specialty and general medicines portfolio
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