Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. VRTX scored 61.3, INVA scored 76.1 — INVA leads.
Compare another set
VRTX
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
Biotechnology · Quality-Growth
61.3
$510.08 · $129.3B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
14.8
INVA leads
INVA
Innoviva, Inc.
Biotechnology · Quality-Growth
76.1
$21.21 · $1.5B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestINVA5.0x
Fastest growthINVA+18.8%
Strongest balance sheetVRTX0.10
Highest qualityVRTX82 / 100
Largest discount to fair valueINVA-54%
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)
VRTX
stronger →← stronger
INVA
82
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
67
68
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
71
41
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
92
INVA is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
VRTX
INVA
$3.8bB
FCF
$189mC
+10.2%B
Rev
+18.8%B+
0.10B+
D/E
0.27B
29.7xB
P/E
5.0xA
1.96C+
PEG
3.12D
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
VRTX
INVA
99% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
54% below
~25%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~-11%/yr
-54%
1-yr DCF upside
+97%
-50%
5-yr DCF upside
+117%
-43%
10-yr DCF upside
+150%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
VRTX
No notable signals flagged.
INVA
Why this score
Diluting shareholders
The companies
VRTXVertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
Biotechnology · $510.08 · beta 0.28
Why now
Biotechnology · market cap $129.3b. 9% off the 52-week high of $560.25. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 28 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $571.61 (implying +12% upside).
Moat
Net margin 35% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 22% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. $129.3b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
P/S 10.3x embeds aggressive forward growth — disappointing top-line guidance would compress the multiple hard. 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.
INVAInnoviva, Inc.
Biotechnology · $21.21 · beta 0.38
Why now
Biotechnology · market cap $1.5b. 16% off the 52-week high of $25.15. Revenue growing +19%, comfortably above the S&P median. 5 sell-side analysts publish a mean 1-yr target of $35.00 (implying +65% upside).
Moat
Net margin 81% is exceptional — pricing-power territory rare outside premium software, branded staples, and specialty pharma. ROE 29% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. Pharma moat is patent runway + pipeline depth — a single approved molecule funds the next generation of bets. Late-stage trials carry binary readouts that swing valuation 30%+.
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
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
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 VRTX and INVA diverge
On the headline score the gap is 14.8 points in favor of INVA. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueVRTX 41.2 · INVA 91.9INVA +50.7
QualityVRTX 82.0 · INVA 67.4VRTX +14.6
GrowthVRTX 68.3 · INVA 71.2level
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value 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.
Common questions
Is INVA or VRTX the better stock?
INVA scores higher: INVA 76.1, VRTX 61.3 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do INVA and VRTX differ most?
The widest gap is value, where INVA leads by 51 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are INVA and VRTX scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.