Abbott Laboratories vs Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma (ABT vs VRTX)
Side by side from their SEC filings: revenue, margins, growth, returns and valuation, plus short interest, insider activity and institutional ownership.
Abbott Laboratories is the larger company by revenue ($44.3B vs $12.0B) and market value ($163.6B vs $121.9B). Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+58.4% cumulative vs +2.9%). Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma runs the higher operating margin (34.8% vs 18.2%). Abbott Laboratories trades at the lower trailing P/E (26.3x vs 28.8x).
About Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories develops, manufactures, and sells a wide range of healthcare products globally. Its main business segments include established pharmaceutical products sold primarily outside the U.S., diagnostic systems and tests used in various healthcare settings, nutritional products for infants and adults, and medical devices for cardiovascular, diabetes care, and neuromodulation treatments. The company serves customers such as healthcare providers, government agencies, consumers, and distributors worldwide.
About Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company that develops and commercializes medicines for serious diseases, focusing on specialty markets. Its approved products treat cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, and acute pain. The company serves patients worldwide and advances clinical programs for additional diseases including kidney disorders, neuropathic pain, and type 1 diabetes.
Head to head (ABT FY2025 vs VRTX FY2025)
| Metric | ABTFY2025 | VRTXFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $44.33B | $12.00B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 5.7% | 8.9% |
| Gross margin | 56.4% | 86.2% |
| Operating margin | 18.2% | 34.8% |
| Net margin | 14.7% | 32.9% |
| Net income | $6.52B | $3.95B |
| Diluted EPS | $3.72 | $15.32 |
| FCF margin | 16.7% | 26.6% |
| ROE | 12.4% | 21.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.2× | — |
| Market cap | $163.61B | $121.89B |
| P/E (TTM) | 26.3× | 28.8× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (ABT FY2025, VRTX FY2025). P/E and market cap are derived from recent market prices and update daily.
Five-year trend (as reported)
| Revenue | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABT | $43.08B | $43.65B | $40.11B | $41.95B | $44.33B |
| VRTX | $7.57B | $8.93B | $9.87B | $11.02B | $12.00B |
Peer standing
Where each company ranks among the 198 pharmaceutical companies, on the same scale. Each figure is ranked only against peers that report it. Percentiles describe position in the distribution, not a rating.
| Metric | ABT | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 56.4%39th percentile of 68 | 86.2%90th percentile of 68 |
| Operating margin | 18.2%80th percentile of 112 | 34.8%95th percentile of 112 |
| Net margin | 14.7%77th percentile of 121 | 32.9%88th percentile of 121 |
| FCF margin | 16.7%69th percentile of 109 | 26.6%85th percentile of 109 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +5.7%41st percentile of 186 | +8.9%49th percentile of 186 |
| ROE | 12.4%78th percentile of 167 | 21.2%86th percentile of 167 |
| P/E (TTM) | 26.3×70th percentile of 61 | 28.8×72nd percentile of 61 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 1.48d10th percentile of 197 | 2.01d17th percentile of 197 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | ABT | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 23.4M | 4.9M |
| Change vs prior settlement | +6.4% | +7.0% |
| Days to cover | 1.48 | 2.01 |
| As of settlement | 2026-06-30 | 2026-06-30 |
Source: FINRA Consolidated Short Interest. FINRA is the owner and source of the FINRA-supplied data; republishing or redistributing it is not permitted. Not presented as a percentage of float. No FINRA endorsement of this product is implied.
Insider activity (last 90 days)
| Form 4 open-market activity | ABT | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | 3 ($1.3M) | 0 |
| Sells | 0 | 14 ($11.0M) |
Open-market purchases and sales reported on SEC Form 4 (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 16% of covered companies saw any open-market insider buy in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
8 tracked 13F managers hold both Abbott Laboratories and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Bridgewater Associates, Citadel Advisors, D. E. Shaw, Gotham Asset Management, Millennium Management, Renaissance Technologies, Two Sigma Investments. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
Go deeper
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR (public domain). Figures are as-reported and may be unaudited or restated; verify against the source filings before relying on them. Comparisons are descriptive (higher or lower on a reported figure), not a rating or a recommendation. Informational only. Not investment advice.