COMPARE · Data as of August 21, 2026
AZN vs NBIX
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. AZN scored 74.5, NBIX scored 88.0 — NBIX leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. NBIX's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but AZN's are as of December 2025 — a 6-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
AZN
AstraZeneca PLC
74.5
$164.49 · $255.1B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
13.5
NBIX leads
NBIX
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
88
$152.93 · $15.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
- CheapestNBIX22.4x
- Fastest growthNBIX+34.4%
- Strongest balance sheetNBIX0.12
- Highest qualityNBIX81 / 100
- Largest discount to fair valueNBIX-11%
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
AZN
stronger →← stronger
NBIX
78
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
81
78
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
96
68
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
88
NBIX is stronger on 3 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
AZN
NBIX
$11.8bA-
FCF
$870mC+
+8.6%B
Rev
+34.4%A
0.64C+
D/E
0.12B+
24.6xB
P/E
22.4xB+
1.42B
PEG
0.46A
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
AZN
NBIX
18% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
11% below
~13%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~8%/yr
-26%
1-yr DCF upside
-6%
-15%
5-yr DCF upside
+12%
+2%
10-yr DCF upside
+46%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
AZN
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
NBIX
Why this score
- Durable high returns
- Diluting shareholders
The companies
AZNAstraZeneca PLC
Why now
Drug Manufacturers - General · market cap $255.1b. Down 23% from 52-week high of $212.71 — deep drawdown territory. 10 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $213.99 (implying +30% upside).
Moat
Net margin 17% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 21% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 115% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trial-readout binary — late-stage clinical trials carry approve/reject outcomes that swing valuation 30%+; the equity is effectively a portfolio of these binary events, not a steady cash-flow business.
NBIXNeurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
Why now
Drug Manufacturers - Specialty & Generic · market cap $15.5b. 18% off the 52-week high of $186.12. Revenue growing +34% — in hypergrowth territory. PEG 0.46 — paying under fair value for the growth rate. 27 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $211.57 (implying +38% upside).
Moat
Net margin 21% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close. ROE 19% sits above Buffett's preferred 15% threshold — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 123% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trial-readout binary — late-stage clinical trials carry approve/reject outcomes that swing valuation 30%+; the equity is effectively a portfolio of these binary events, not a steady cash-flow business.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
NBIX leads AZN by 13.5 points (88.0 to 74.5), its sharpest advantage coming in Rev (grade A). A contrarian could still prefer AZN for its stronger FCF (grade A-). Note they play different roles — AZN screens as growth, NBIX screens as value — so the model rewards different traits for each.
Our AI analyst is busy right now, so this verdict is drawn directly from the pillars, grades and DCF above.
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where AZN and NBIX diverge
On the headline score the gap is 13.5 points in favor of NBIX. The widest single difference is Value, where NBIX leads by 20.2 points.
- ValueAZN 67.5 · NBIX 87.7NBIX +20.2
- GrowthAZN 78.5 · NBIX 95.9NBIX +17.4
- QualityAZN 78.2 · NBIX 81.1level
Pillars run 0–100 against sector peers, so a score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.