STOCK COMPARISON
UCB vs Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Fair Value & Quality
Both stocks run through our valuation models. Here is how UCB (UCB) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) compare, as of Aug 8, 2026.
As of Aug 8, 2026, Fair Value Calculator sees UCB as the less overvalued of the two: UCB trades at €225 versus a fair value of €179 (-20%), while Vertex Pharmaceuticals trades at $484 versus $279 (-42%).
UCB
UCB.BR · EUR · Health Care
-20%
upside to fair value
overvalued
Price€225
Fair Value€179
Quality74/100
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
VRTX · USD · Health Care
-42%
upside to fair value
overvalued
Price$484
Fair Value$279
Quality74/100
Head-to-head numbers
Green value = the better side for that row (for valuation multiples: lower = cheaper).
UCBVertex Pharmaceuticals
Valuation
19.7×P/E (TTM)28.8×
5.76×P/S (TTM)10.06×
4.52×P/B6.59×
14.6×EV/EBITDA23.8×
1.68×PEG1.72×
0.7%Dividend yield—
€1.45Dividend per share—
Profitability
26%Net margin36%
33%Operating margin38%
21%Return on equity24%
9%Return on assets12%
Growth
23%Revenue growth (YoY)8%
12.0%Avg. growth/yr (3Y)10.6%
7.7%Avg. growth/yr (5Y)14.2%
Balance & size
0.19×Debt / equity0.03×
$49BMarket cap$123B
healthyGrowth qualityhealthy
UCB leads: 7 to 6 metric wins.
Dash = not meaningfully computable, for example with negative equity.
Quality in detail
The quality score, broken down into the same factor families as on the stock page, 0 to 100 per family.
UCBof which business quality 77 · market factors 55
Vertex Pharmaceuticalsof which business quality 77 · market factors 60
ProfitabilityMargins and returns on capital today
56
72
Quality GrowthAre margins and returns improving?
68
65
CashflowEarnings quality: real cash, not paper profit
84
79
Fin. StrengthBalance sheet, leverage, solvency risk
83
92
InvestmentDisciplined investing over empire-building
79
58
Low VolatilityCalm price path (market factor)
76
77
MomentumPrice trend over the last 3–12 months (market factor)
44
52
52W MomentumDistance to the 52-week high (market factor)
49
55
Net IssuanceBuybacks instead of dilution
96
82
What the models say
The median fair value (base case) per model family, each in the currency of its trading venue. Green = above the current price, red = below.
UCB
DCF Models€175
Earnings-Based€77.32
Dividend Discount€23.64
Multiples€151
Asset-Based€38.19
Growth DCF€148
Economic Profit€95.89
Growth Earnings€145
26 of 26 models see the stock below the current price.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
DCF Models$429
Earnings-Based$516
Dividend Discount$7.07
Multiples$246
Asset-Based$49.27
Growth DCF$333
Economic Profit$254
Growth Earnings$672
19 of 26 models see the stock below the current price.
Scenario ranges
From our cautious bear case to the optimistic bull case. The white tick is the current price: left of fair value means room to run.
UCB
Bear €118Fair Value €179Bull €224
€225 = current price (white tick)
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Bear $210Fair Value $279Bull $900
$484 = current price (white tick)
Compare two other stocks
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Ranked within their sector
Where each stock sits within its sector peer group. Band = middle 50% of peers, tick = median, dot = this stock.
UCB · Health Care
Quality score74 · Top 25%
Fair value upside-20% · above median
Vertex Pharmaceuticals · Health Care
Quality score74 · Top 25%
Fair value upside-42% · below median
Bottom line
As of Aug 8, 2026, Fair Value Calculator sees UCB as the less overvalued of the two: UCB trades at €225 versus a fair value of €179 (-20%), while Vertex Pharmaceuticals trades at $484 versus $279 (-42%).
UCB has the higher quality score (74/100).
See the full analysis →
More comparisons
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A model-based valuation snapshot from 21 models. Values change with price and fundamentals; the date shown above applies.
