# How Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/vrtx
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on VRTX alone. It places VRTX (Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where VRTX stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: VRTX's full trading record, from July 1991 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** VRTX has outpaced the market, rising 17.2% over the past 6 months against 9.1% for the S&P 500 and 11.2% for the Nasdaq 100. Its biotechnology peers were far apart over the past 6 months, from BIIB (Biogen, up 32.6%) to ARGX (argenx, up 4.2%).
- **Stock or market?:** VRTX rose 7.1% over the past 3 months, 5.6 points ahead of the biotechnology ETF XBI (State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF), which rose 1.5%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its biotechnology peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: AMGN (Amgen) rose 21.2%, while ALNY (Alnylam Pharmaceuticals) fell 15.4%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** A ahead of 87% of stocks worth at least $300 million over 10 years, but behind 55% of the stocks worth at least $300 million over 3 years. Even so, over the past year, VRTX rose 22.8% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100.
- **Long term:** VRTX turned $10,000 into $62,100 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. VRTX's 10-year return of 521% puts it ahead of 87% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** VRTX fell harder than the S&P 500 in five of seven sell-offs. The 2022 bear market was the exception: VRTX fell 19.2%, less than the S&P 500's 24.5%.
- **Diversification:** VRTX is a real diversifier: a correlation of 0.17 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.16 with the total US market, less closely than 89% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Over 10 years VRTX kept more of the market's gains than of its losses: 87% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 50% of its losses in falling ones, with a beta of 0.46.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** LLY (Eli Lilly and Company) earned more for the risk it took than VRTX over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 34.5%, against 41.6% for VRTX.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** ABBV (AbbVie, pharmaceuticals) earned more than VRTX with less volatility over the past 5 years: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, against 22.6% a year at 29.1%.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only 16 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than VRTX with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them XOM (Exxonmobil), ABBV (AbbVie) and HSBC.

## How much would $10,000 in VRTX have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in VRTX over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of VRTX over the same span and VRTX's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in VRTX at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $276,941 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of VRTX, and GILD finished highest, at $1,571,438.

## VRTX at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- VRTX's deepest decline since it began trading in 1991 was 91.8%, from November 2000 to November 2003. It took about 11 years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, VRTX's best was 2000, when it returned 309%, and its worst was 2001, when it lost 65.6%. It lost money in 11 of those years.
- VRTX is 7.8% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Healthcare (Biotechnology)
- Trading since: July 24, 1991
- Market value: $130B
- Volatility (5 years): 29.1%; Sharpe ratio: 0.85
- Worst decline ever: −91.8%, from November 2, 2000 to November 11, 2003; back at its high by July 2, 2014

| Period | VRTX total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +0.8% |
| 3 months | +7.1% |
| 6 months | +17.2% |
| year to date | +13.8% |
| 1 year | +22.8% |
| 3 years | +42.2% |
| 5 years | +177% |
| 10 years | +521% |

## VRTX against the whole market

Where VRTX ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does VRTX rank among all stocks?

This section ranks VRTX on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- On return for the risk taken (the Sharpe ratio), VRTX ranks in the top 8% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million.

| Measure | VRTX | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +22.8% | 1,160 of 3,287 (top 36%) |
| 3-year return | +42.2% | 1,664 of 3,017 (top 56%) |
| 5-year return | +177% | 373 of 2,893 (top 13%) |
| 10-year return | +521% | 290 of 2,202 (top 14%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 29.1% | 643 of 2,893 (top 23%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.85 | 223 of 2,893 (top 8%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −41.6% | 192 of 2,187 (top 9%) |

### What has beaten VRTX on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 14 stocks and two ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than VRTX over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is fewer than 1% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half VRTX's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 15% less than VRTX's 29.1%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.85 for VRTX.
- None of VRTX's popular alternatives made it, but ABBV (pharmaceuticals) did: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, 20% less than VRTX's 29.1%.

### Is there a better investment than VRTX?

The table below lists investments that beat VRTX over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among VRTX's popular alternatives, LLY earned more for the risk it took than VRTX over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 34.5%, against 41.6% for VRTX.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, ABBV (pharmaceuticals) earned more than VRTX with less volatility over the past 5 years: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, against 22.6% a year at 29.1%.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only 16 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than VRTX with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them XOM, ABBV and HSBC.

The 15 strongest of 16 investments that beat VRTX over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with VRTX | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VRTX: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (this page) |  | +22.6% | 29.1% | 0.85 | −41.6% | +521% |  |  |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [XOM](https://easycompare.io/research/xom): Exxonmobil Holdings Corporation | Integrated Oil & Gas | +27.1% | 26.5% | 1.04 | −61.0% | +214% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | 0.33 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [WAB](https://easycompare.io/research/wab): Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation | Industrial Machinery | +25.6% | 26.2% | 1.00 | −64.1% | +264% | 0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| PAA: Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. | Oil & Gas Midstream | +27.0% | 25.6% | 1.06 | −87.9% | +64.0% | 0.15 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [COR](https://easycompare.io/research/cor): Cencora, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +24.2% | 22.8% | 1.07 | −32.4% | +406% | 0.40 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| PAGP: Plains GP Holdings LP | Oil & Gas Midstream | +26.8% | 26.1% | 1.05 | −88.0% | +56.3% | 0.18 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| DTM: DT Midstream, Inc. | Oil & Gas Midstream | +24.5% | 25.2% | 1.00 | −23.6% | — | 0.11 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline |
| [HSBC](https://easycompare.io/research/hsbc): HSBC Holdings plc | Banks | +33.1% | 25.9% | 1.24 | −62.3% | +319% | 0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [WELL](https://easycompare.io/research/well): Welltower Inc. | Healthcare REITs | +26.0% | 23.8% | 1.09 | −63.3% | +379% | 0.30 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [WMB](https://easycompare.io/research/wmb): The Williams Companies, Inc. | Oil & Gas Midstream | +24.6% | 24.0% | 1.04 | −68.1% | +288% | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [GWW](https://easycompare.io/research/gww): W.W. Grainger, Inc. | Industrial Distribution | +26.3% | 24.9% | 1.07 | −41.6% | +654% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| BLX: Bladex, Inc. | Banks - Regional | +31.4% | 25.9% | 1.19 | −68.5% | +290% | -0.09 | Higher return, lower volatility |

## VRTX against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against VRTX, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do VRTX's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only GILD was both more rewarding and calmer than VRTX over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- 17 of the 24 popular alternatives earned less than VRTX over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, VRTX returned 22.6% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (29.1% against 17.1%).

### Has VRTX consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares VRTX with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- LLY outperformed VRTX in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- Two of the 24 popular alternatives, LLY and EXEL, outperformed VRTX in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- LLY and GILD earned more for the risk they took than VRTX (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of VRTX | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VRTX: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (this page) | +22.8% | +42.2% | +177% | +521% |  |  | 0.85 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | +59.7% | +124% | +451% | +1,807% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.21 |
| EXEL: Exelixis, Inc. | +86.4% | +205% | +198% | +448% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.79 |
| UTHR: United Therapeutics Corporation | +28.0% | +146% | +188% | +390% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.78 |
| PTCT: PTC Therapeutics, Inc. | −8.0% | +171% | +75.4% | +796% | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.48 |
| [ARGX](https://easycompare.io/research/argx): argenx SE | +2.4% | +83.1% | +194% | — | 0/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | +48.7% | +72.2% | +145% | +266% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.85 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | +26.3% | +45.3% | +6.5% | +260% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.21 |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | +30.3% | +121% | +180% | +200% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.95 |
| INCY: Incyte Corporation | +35.3% | +112% | +77.6% | +31.8% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.53 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | +65.8% | −5.6% | −8.8% | −18.9% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | +8.3% | +10.8% | −17.6% | +232% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | +40.7% | +0.8% | +44.9% | +120% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| NTLA: Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. | −57.7% | −55.6% | −90.8% | −5.0% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.22 |
| SRPT: Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. | −16.8% | −82.8% | −76.0% | −60.9% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.03 |
| RARE: Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. | −53.4% | −51.6% | −79.2% | −75.9% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.22 |
| ALNY: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | −53.0% | +42.6% | +13.2% | +514% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.29 |
| CRSP: CRISPR Therapeutics AG | −32.6% | +29.2% | −49.3% | +258% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.08 |
| NBIX: Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | +0.5% | +28.6% | +37.4% | +211% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |
| [NVO](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo): Novo Nordisk A/S | −28.5% | −57.0% | −18.5% | +134% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.09 |
| IONS: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | −38.3% | −1.6% | +48.8% | +58.8% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| BMRN: BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | +6.3% | −31.3% | −24.9% | −33.0% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.01 |
| BEAM: Beam Therapeutics Inc. | −18.6% | +40.9% | −73.5% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| BNTX: BioNTech SE | −15.5% | +0.3% | −65.7% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.15 |

### How did VRTX do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where VRTX ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, VRTX finished in the top quarter in eight of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in five. In 2025, it ranked 14 of 25.
- VRTX finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 13 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last two.
- Among its popular alternatives, ARGX came out ahead of VRTX most often, in six of the eight years both traded.

| Year | VRTX | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +12.6% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −1.0% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +40.9% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +31.5% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −7.1% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +7.9% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +32.1% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +10.6% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +103% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −41.4% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How VRTX has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were VRTX's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all four of VRTX's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: VRTX fell 70.2% from February 1997 to August 1998, while the S&P 500 rose 20.6%.
- The slowest recovery came after VRTX fell 91.8% from November 2000 to November 2003; it did not regain that peak until July 2014, 11 years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −91.8% | November 2, 2000 | November 11, 2003 | July 2, 2014 | −23.1% | dot-com bust |
| −70.2% | February 24, 1997 | August 31, 1998 | February 8, 2000 | +20.6% |  |
| −60.8% | January 6, 1992 | June 18, 1992 | October 14, 1993 | — |  |
| −55.3% | March 6, 2000 | April 14, 2000 | June 16, 2000 | −2.4% | dot-com bust |
| −49.1% | August 19, 2015 | December 22, 2016 | July 19, 2017 | +11.8% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |

### How did VRTX do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far VRTX, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- VRTX fell further than the S&P 500 in seven of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when VRTX fell 86.7% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, AMGN held up best, falling less than VRTX in nine of the ten crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | VRTX fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −86.7% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −59.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.7% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −23.9% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −43.7% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −8.8% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −21.2% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −19.4% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −19.2% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | 0.0% | −3.4% |

### How closely does VRTX move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, VRTX captured 87% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 50% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.46. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- Only LLY had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than VRTX's 1.75, out of 20 popular alternatives with the same record.
- LLY took just 6% of the S&P 500's losses, against 50% for VRTX, while still keeping 101% of its gains.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VRTX: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (this page) | 87.0% | 50.0% | 0.46 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | 101% | 6.0% | 0.37 |
| EXEL: Exelixis, Inc. | 74.0% | 43.0% | 0.73 |
| UTHR: United Therapeutics Corporation | 75.0% | 45.0% | 0.52 |
| PTCT: PTC Therapeutics, Inc. | 112% | 115% | 0.85 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | 74.0% | 64.0% | 0.54 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | 128% | 167% | 1.31 |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | 52.0% | 36.0% | 0.35 |
| INCY: Incyte Corporation | 52.0% | 87.0% | 0.77 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | 35.0% | 91.0% | 0.28 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | 84.0% | 84.0% | 0.75 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 55.0% | 66.0% | 0.19 |
| NTLA: Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. | 139% | 283% | 2.00 |
| SRPT: Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. | 71.0% | 217% | 0.89 |
| RARE: Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. | 19.0% | 142% | 1.07 |
| ALNY: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 92.0% | 93.0% | 0.73 |
| NBIX: Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | 69.0% | 66.0% | 0.56 |
| [NVO](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo): Novo Nordisk A/S | 75.0% | 94.0% | 0.60 |
| IONS: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 71.0% | 125% | 0.74 |
| BMRN: BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | 20.0% | 70.0% | 0.38 |

### What diversifies VRTX?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in VRTX into LVHI would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years for a small cut in its annual return (+23.6% for VRTX alone, +22.8% for the mix).
- MCK made money in nine of the 11 calendar years in which VRTX lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of VRTX over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.24 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with VRTX | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in VRTX's 11 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.24 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 11 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.19 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 3 of 11 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.23 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 3 of 11 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.31 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 3 of 11 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.03 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 7 of 11 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.31 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 3 of 11 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.19 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 5 of 11 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.14 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 3 of 11 |

## Common questions

### What was VRTX's worst drawdown?

VRTX's deepest decline since it began trading in 1991 was 91.8%, from November 2000 to November 2003. It took about 11 years from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were VRTX's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, VRTX's best year was 2000, when it returned 309%. Its worst was 2001, with a return of -65.6%.

### Is there a better investment than VRTX?

Among VRTX's popular alternatives, LLY earned more for the risk it took than VRTX over the past 5 years, and its worst fall in 10 years was 34.5%, against 41.6% for VRTX. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, ABBV (pharmaceuticals) earned more than VRTX with less volatility over the past 5 years: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, against 22.6% a year at 29.1%.

### Is VRTX more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. VRTX's volatility over the past 5 years was 29.1%, 1.7 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, VRTX's return lands within 29.1% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is VRTX's Sharpe ratio?

VRTX's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.85, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so VRTX earned more for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is VRTX with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, VRTX's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.17 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against VRTX instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a VRTX holding.

### What are the best alternatives to VRTX?

Of the 24 popular alternatives we compared, two outperformed VRTX in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: LLY and EXEL.

### Did VRTX outperform the S&P 500?

VRTX finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 13 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +12.6%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did VRTX do in stock market crashes?

VRTX fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in three of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in seven. The clearest case was the dot-com bust, when VRTX fell 86.7% and the S&P 500 fell 47.5%.

### What diversifies VRTX?

These had a low correlation with VRTX over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.24), DXJ (correlation 0.19) and EMLP (correlation 0.23); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.29), CLS (correlation 0.00) and FIX (correlation -0.02). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/lly)
- [argenx (ARGX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/argx)
- [Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo)
- [Amgen (AMGN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn)
- [IQVIA (IQV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv)
- [Gilead Sciences (GILD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/gild)
- [Danaher (DHR) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr)
- [Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/regn)
- [Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)

## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/vrtx
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against VRTX live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=VRTX&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research