Smith & Nephew plc vs Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated — how do they compare? Smith & Nephew plc trades at $30.45 (market cap $12.64B), while Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated trades at $478.12 (market cap $121.95B). The key difference: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is far larger — about 9.6× Smith & Nephew plc's market cap, and Smith & Nephew plc pays a 2.57% dividend while Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| SNN | VRTX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $12.64B | $121.95B |
Sector | Health | Health |
52-Week High | $38.70 | $529.59 |
52-Week Low | $28.73 | $366.54 |
Enterprise Value | $15.41B | $116.69B |
Dividend Yield | 2.57% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
SNN trades at $30.21, down 1.24% today, with a bearish technical signal and mixed earnings history. Revenue grew to $5.81B in 2024 with net income of $412M, while valuation ratios like P/E of 21.25 and P/S of 2.15 suggest moderate pricing. Recent news highlights product launches in robotics and wound care, supporting growth initiatives.
Outlook is cautiously optimistic with strong cash flow and analyst buy ratings at 27%, but risks include earnings misses and rising debt. The stock offers potential from operational improvements, though investor sentiment remains divided amid competitive pressures.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) trades at $482.00, down 0.75% on the day, with mixed technical signals showing a bullish overall trend but bearish moving averages. The company maintains strong fundamentals with $12.0B revenue (2025), 35.51% net margin, and recent earnings beats. Vertex's $10B acquisition of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals adds significant growth potential in endocrinology treatments.
The outlook remains positive with 85.7% analyst buy ratings and $538 consensus target offering 11.6% upside. Key risks include integration challenges from the Crinetics acquisition and competitive pressures in biopharmaceutical markets. Strong cash flow generation and profitability support continued growth despite recent volatility.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Smith & Nephew designs, manufactures, and markets orthopedic devices, sports medicine and arthroscopic technologies, and wound-care solutions. Roughly 42% of the U.K.-based firm's revenue comes from orthopedic products, and another 30% is sports medicine and ENT. The remaining 28% of revenue is from the advanced wound therapy segment. Roughly half of Smith & Nephew's total revenue comes from the United States, just over 30% is from other developed markets, and emerging markets account for the remainder.
Read more on SNN →Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company that discovers and develops small-molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases. Its key drugs are Kalydeco, Orkambi, Symdeko, and Trikafta/Kaftrio for cystic fibrosis, where Vertex therapies remain the standard of care globally. In addition to its focus on cystic fibrosis, Vertex is diversifying its pipeline through gene-editing therapies such as CTX001 for beta-thalassemia and sickle-cell disease, small-molecule inhibitors targeting acute and chronic pain using non-opioid treatments, and small-molecule inhibitors of APOL1-mediated kidney diseases. Vertex is also investigating cell therapies to deliver a potential functional cure for type 1 diabetes.
Read more on VRTX →