Novartis (NVS) vs Sanofi (SNY)
Head-to-head comparison of performance, valuation, growth, profitability and dividends. Prices delayed 15 minutes; data as of Oct 8, 2026.
Summary
Novartis (NVS) has outperformed Sanofi (SNY) over the past year, gaining 8.9% versus a loss of 18.3%. Over five years, NVS leads with a +71.9% price change compared with -17.7% for SNY. Novartis is the larger company by market cap ($270.12 billion vs $96.00 billion), about 2.8 times the size.
On valuation, Sanofi trades at a lower forward P/E (7.4x vs 14.5x for Novartis). Sanofi offers the higher dividend yield (10.28% vs 3.28%).
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 | NVS | SNY |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $142.12 | $40.07 |
| Market cap | $270.12B | $96.00B |
| 1-day change | -0.81% | -0.34% |
| YTD return | +3.92% | -17.04% |
| 1-year return | +8.92% | -18.29% |
| 5-year return | +71.94% | -17.71% |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | 21.47 | 21.09 |
| Forward P/E | 14.51 | 7.42 |
| EPS (TTM) | $6.62 | $1.90 |
| Dividend yield | 3.28% | 10.28% |
| Annual dividend | $4.67 | $4.12 |
| Net income (latest FY) | $13.98B | — |
| 52-week high | $170.46 | $52.68 |
| 52-week low | $121.57 | $39.18 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -16.63% | -23.95% |
| Analyst consensus | hold | buy |
| Avg. price target upside | +9.07% | +33.81% |
| Average volume | 1.96M | 2.89M |
| Shares outstanding | 1.90B | 2.40B |
| Employees | 75,267 | 74,846 |
| 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
- Novartis is about 2.8 times larger than Sanofi by market value ($270.12B vs $96.00B).
- NVS has outperformed SNY by 27.2 percentage points over the past year.
- Sanofi offers a meaningfully higher dividend yield (10.28% vs 3.28%).
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
About Sanofi
SNY stock →Sanofi engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of therapeutic solutions. It provides immunology and inflammation, rare diseases neurology, oncology, and other vaccines.
Health Care · Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations · 74,846 employees
NVS vs SNY FAQ
Which is bigger, Novartis or Sanofi?
Novartis (NVS) is larger, with a market capitalization of $270.12B compared with $96.00B for Sanofi (SNY).
Which stock has performed better over the past year, NVS or SNY?
NVS returned +8.92% over the past 12 months, compared with -18.29% for SNY (price return, excluding dividends). Past performance does not predict future results.
Which has the lower P/E ratio, NVS or SNY?
SNY has the lower trailing P/E at 21.1, versus 21.5 for NVS. 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, Novartis or Sanofi?
Sanofi has the higher yield at 10.28%, compared with 3.28% for Novartis.
Are Novartis and Sanofi in the same industry?
Yes. Both are classified in the Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations industry within the Health Care sector.