Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) vs BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | ASND | 90.2% revenue growth vs BMRN's 12.9% |
| Value | BMRN | Lower P/E (15.4x vs 49.1x) |
| Quality / Margins | BMRN | 10.8% net margin vs ASND's -31.7% |
| Stability / Safety | ASND | Beta 0.24 vs BMRN's 0.74 |
| Dividends | Tie | Neither pays a meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | ASND | +49.1% vs BMRN's -13.3% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | BMRN | 4.6% ROA vs ASND's -17.5%, ROIC 7.4% vs -69.1% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Ascendis Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies using its proprietary TransCon technology platform. It generates revenue primarily from sales of its approved growth hormone therapy SKYTROFA and through strategic partnerships — with future revenue expected from its pipeline of endocrinology and oncology treatments. The company's key competitive advantage is its TransCon platform, which enables sustained release of therapeutics with improved pharmacokinetics and reduced dosing frequency.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for rare genetic diseases. It generates revenue primarily from sales of its orphan drug portfolio — including Voxzogo, Vimizim, and Palynziq — with additional income from licensing and royalties. The company's moat lies in its deep expertise in rare disease biology and its established commercial infrastructure for ultra-orphan drugs, which creates high barriers to entry.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Segment breakdown not available.
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
BMRN leads in 2 of 6 categories (Valuation Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). ASND leads in 2 (Total Returns, Risk & Volatility). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
BMRN is the larger business by revenue, generating $3.2B annually — 4.5x ASND's $718M. BMRN is the more profitable business, keeping 10.8% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to ASND's -31.7%. On growth, ASND holds the edge at +41.0% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… | BMRNBioMarin Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $718M | $3.2B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | -$119M | $613M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | -$228M | $349M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $43M | $725M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +86.3% | +77.1% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -19.0% | +16.6% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | -31.7% | +10.8% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +6.0% | +22.5% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +41.0% | +17.0% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +15.6% | -134.4% |
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… | BMRNBioMarin Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $14.3B | $11.9B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $14.6B | $11.1B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | -54.69x | 34.29x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | 49.09x | 15.45x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | — | 18.18x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 17.57x | 3.68x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 2.00x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 278.56x | 16.36x |
Profitability & Efficiency
| Metric | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… | BMRNBioMarin Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | +5.7% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | -17.5% | +4.6% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | -69.1% | +7.4% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | -51.9% | +7.8% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 5 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.10x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $256M | -$715M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $616M | $1.3B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $871M | $597M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | -0.62x | 48.95x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in ASND five years ago would be worth $14,939 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $7,797 for BMRN. Over the past 12 months, ASND leads with a +49.1% total return vs BMRN's -13.3%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors ASND at 28.1% vs BMRN's -14.7% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… | BMRNBioMarin Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +9.5% | +3.8% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +49.1% | -13.3% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +110.2% | -38.0% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +49.4% | -22.0% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +1245.8% | -24.6% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +28.1% | -14.7% |
Risk & Volatility
ASND is the less volatile stock with a 0.24 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than BMRN's 0.74 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. ASND currently trades 96.5% from its 52-week high vs BMRN's 84.0% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… | BMRNBioMarin Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.24x | 0.74x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $242.00 | $73.51 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $124.06 | $50.76 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +96.5% | +84.0% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 54.8 | 56.6 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 573K | 1.9M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates ASND as "Buy" and BMRN as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 32.8% upside for BMRN (target: $82) vs 22.7% for ASND (target: $287).
| Metric | ASNDAscendis Pharma A… | BMRNBioMarin Pharmace… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Buy | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $286.50 | $82.00 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 24 | 40 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | — | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | — | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | — | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +0.1% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) | 100 | 165.23 | +65.2% |
| BioMarin Pharmaceut… (BMRN) | 100 | 61.39 | -38.6% |
Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) returned +49% over 5 years vs BioMarin Pharmaceut… (BMRN)'s -22%. A $10,000 investment in ASND 5 years ago would be worth $14,939 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) | $5M | $692M | +14917.6% |
| BioMarin Pharmaceut… (BMRN) | $1.1B | $0.00 | -100.0% |
Ascendis Pharma A/S's revenue grew from $5M (2016) to $692M (2025) — a 74.5% CAGR. BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.'s revenue grew from $1.1B (2016) to $0M (2025) — a -100.0% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) | -14.9% | -31.7% | -112.9% |
| BioMarin Pharmaceut… (BMRN) | -56.4% | 15.0% | +126.5% |
Ascendis Pharma A/S's net margin went from -15% (2016) to -32% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 5 Years
| Stock | 2020 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| BioMarin Pharmaceut… (BMRN) | 19.4 | 424.5 | +2088.1% |
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. has traded in a 19x–425x P/E range over 5 years; current trailing P/E is ~34x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) | -2.58 | -3.62 | -40.3% |
| BioMarin Pharmaceut… (BMRN) | -3.79 | 0.14 | +103.7% |
Ascendis Pharma A/S's EPS grew from $-2.58 (2016) to $-3.62 (2025). BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.'s EPS grew from $-3.79 (2016) to $0.14 (2025).
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Ascendis Pharma A/S generated $44M FCF in 2025 (+110% vs 2021). BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. generated $725M FCF in 2025 (+291% vs 2021).
ASND vs BMRN: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is ASND or BMRN a better buy right now?
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) offers the better valuation at 34.3x trailing P/E (15.4x forward), making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) a "Buy" — based on 24 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — ASND or BMRN?
On forward P/E, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. is actually cheaper at 15.4x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — ASND or BMRN?
Over the past 5 years, Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) delivered a total return of +49.4%, compared to -22.0% for BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN). A $10,000 investment in ASND five years ago would be worth approximately $15K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: ASND returned +1246% versus BMRN's -24.6%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — ASND or BMRN?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) is the lower-risk stock at 0.24β versus BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.'s 0.74β — meaning BMRN is approximately 217% more volatile than ASND relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — ASND or BMRN?
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) is the more profitable company, earning 10.8% net margin versus -31.7% for Ascendis Pharma A/S — meaning it keeps 10.8% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: BMRN leads at 16.6% versus -18.9% for ASND. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — ASND leads at 85.1%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is ASND or BMRN more undervalued right now?
On forward earnings alone, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) trades at 15.4x forward P/E versus 49.1x for Ascendis Pharma A/S — 33.6x cheaper on a one-year earnings basis. Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for BMRN: 32.8% to $82.00.
07Which pays a better dividend — ASND or BMRN?
None of the stocks in this comparison currently pay a material dividend. All are effectively zero-yield and should be held for capital appreciation rather than income.
08Is ASND or BMRN better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Ascendis Pharma A/S (ASND) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.24), +1246% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (ASND: +1246%, BMRN: -24.6%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between ASND and BMRN?
Both stocks operate in the Healthcare sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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