Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs Novartis (NVS)
Head-to-head comparison of performance, valuation, growth, profitability and dividends. Prices delayed 15 minutes; data as of Oct 7, 2026.
Summary
Novartis (NVS) has outperformed Abbott Laboratories (ABT) over the past year, gaining 8.9% versus a loss of 25.8%. Over five years, NVS leads with a +71.9% price change compared with -16.0% for ABT. Novartis is the larger company by market cap ($272.33 billion vs $170.84 billion), about 1.6 times the size.
On valuation, Novartis trades at a lower forward P/E (14.6x vs 16.3x for Abbott Laboratories). Novartis offers the higher dividend yield (3.26% vs 2.51%).
Summary generated from market data by MetaCap's automated system. Methodology
Relative performance
Percent change in share price from the first common trading day shown; excludes dividends.
Head-to-head
| Metric | ABT | NVS |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $98.73 | $143.28 |
| Market cap | $170.84B | $272.33B |
| 1-day change | +0.58% | +1.77% |
| YTD return | -21.20% | +3.92% |
| 1-year return | -25.78% | +8.92% |
| 5-year return | -15.97% | +71.94% |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | 31.85 | 21.64 |
| Forward P/E | 16.28 | 14.63 |
| EPS (TTM) | $3.10 | $6.62 |
| Dividend yield | 2.51% | 3.26% |
| Annual dividend | $2.48 | $4.67 |
| Revenue (latest FY) | $44.33B | — |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +5.67% | — |
| Net income (latest FY) | $6.52B | $13.98B |
| Gross margin | 56.42% | — |
| Operating margin | 18.17% | — |
| Net margin | 14.72% | — |
| 52-week high | $135.13 | $170.46 |
| 52-week low | $81.97 | $121.57 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -26.94% | -15.95% |
| Analyst consensus | strong_buy | hold |
| Avg. price target upside | +22.27% | +8.19% |
| Average volume | 9.56M | 1.97M |
| Shares outstanding | 1.73B | 1.90B |
| Employees | 122,000 | 75,267 |
| Sector | Health Care | Health Care |
| Industry | Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations | Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations |
Highlighted cells mark the higher value for growth, returns, margins and yield, and the lower value for P/E ratios. Highlighting is a mechanical comparison, not a recommendation.
Key differences
- NVS has outperformed ABT by 34.7 percentage points over the past year.
- Abbott Laboratories trades at a higher earnings multiple (31.8x vs 21.6x trailing P/E).
About Abbott Laboratories
ABT stock →Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices.
Health Care · Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations · 122,000 employees
About Novartis
NVS stock →Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, distributes, markets, and sells pharmaceutical medicines in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers Entresto, an angiotensin receptorneprilysin inhibitor to treat symptomatic chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); Cosentyx to treat plaque psoriasis, pso riatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and nonradiographic axial spondy loarthritis; Kisqali, a selective oral cyclin dependent inhibitor of kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6); Promacta/Revolade to treat immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), thrombocytopenia, and patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA); Tafinlar+Mekinist, an oral combination therapy to treat patients with certain types of cancers; and Jakavi for the treatment of myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, and acute or chronic graftversushost disease (GvHD).
Health Care · Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations · 75,267 employees
ABT vs NVS FAQ
Which is bigger, Abbott Laboratories or Novartis?
Novartis (NVS) is larger, with a market capitalization of $272.33B compared with $170.84B for Abbott Laboratories (ABT).
Which stock has performed better over the past year, ABT or NVS?
NVS returned +8.92% over the past 12 months, compared with -25.78% for ABT (price return, excluding dividends). Past performance does not predict future results.
Which has the lower P/E ratio, ABT or NVS?
NVS has the lower trailing P/E at 21.6, versus 31.8 for ABT. A lower P/E is not by itself a sign of a better investment; it can reflect slower expected growth or higher risk.
Which pays a higher dividend, Abbott Laboratories or Novartis?
Novartis has the higher yield at 3.26%, compared with 2.51% for Abbott Laboratories.
Are Abbott Laboratories and Novartis in the same industry?
Yes. Both are classified in the Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations industry within the Health Care sector.