AstraZeneca vs Johnson & Johnson: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
AstraZeneca reported $58.7B of revenue in FY2025 and $10.2B of net income. Johnson & Johnson reported $94.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $26.8B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
AstraZeneca
- Latest revenue
- $58.7B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $10.2B
- Net margin
- 17.4%
- Revenue growth
- +11.0% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Johnson & Johnson
- Latest revenue
- $94.2B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $26.8B
- Net margin
- 28.5%
- Revenue growth
- +3.0% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Financial summary
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca's Total Revenue fell from $33.6 billion in 2011 to a trough of $22.1 billion in 2018 as Seroquel, Nexium and Crestor lost exclusivity. Under Pascal Soriot the company redirected spending into oncology and specialty medicines, and revenue then grew every year to $58.7 billion in 2025, with profit for the year of $10.2 billion and gross profit of $48.1 billion on cost of sales of $10.6 billion. R&D investment reached $14.2 billion in 2025, about a quarter of Total Revenue, and the $39 billion Alexion acquisition added a rare disease business the company did not have before 2021.
Johnson & Johnson
J&J's sales grew from $85.2 billion in 2023 to $88.8 billion in 2024 and $94.2 billion in 2025, while FY2025 net earnings reached $26.8 billion. Q2 2026 sales were $25.31 billion (Innovative Medicine $16.38 billion, MedTech $8.93 billion), net earnings were $5.53 billion, adjusted EPS was $2.90, and first-half free cash flow was about $8.7 billion. Management guides 2026 sales of $100.8 to $101.4 billion and adjusted EPS of $11.60 to $11.75. The company has raised its dividend for more than 60 consecutive years, and its market value was roughly $644 billion in mid-September 2026.
Revenue and profit by year
AstraZeneca
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $58.7B | $10.2B | 17.4% | +8.6% | Source |
| FY2024 | $54.1B | $7B | 13.0% | +18.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $45.8B | $6B | 13.0% | +3.3% | Source |
| FY2022 | $44.4B | $3.3B | 7.4% | +18.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | $37.4B | $115M | 0.3% | +40.6% | Source |
| FY2020 | $26.6B | $3.1B | 11.8% | +9.2% | Source |
| FY2019 | $24.4B | $1.2B | 5.0% | +10.4% | Source |
| FY2018 | $22.1B | $2B | 9.3% | -1.7% | Source |
| FY2017 | $22.5B | $2.9B | 12.8% | -2.3% | Source |
| FY2016 | $23B | $3.4B | 14.8% | — | Source |
Johnson & Johnson
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $94.2B | $26.8B | 28.5% | +6.0% | Source |
| FY2024 | $88.8B | $14.1B | 15.8% | +4.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | $85.2B | $35.2B | 41.3% | +6.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | $80B | $17.9B | 22.4% | +1.6% | Source |
| FY2021 | $78.7B | $20.9B | 26.5% | -4.7% | Source |
| FY2020 | $82.6B | $14.7B | 17.8% | +0.6% | Source |
| FY2019 | $82.1B | $15.1B | 18.4% | +0.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $81.6B | $15.3B | 18.8% | +6.7% | Source |
| FY2017 | $76.5B | $1.3B | 1.7% | +6.3% | Source |
| FY2016 | $71.9B | $16.5B | 23.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
AstraZeneca
- Product Sales~95%
Product Sales were $55,573 million in 2025, up 9%, or about 95% of Total Revenue. This is the direct sale of AstraZeneca-manufactured prescription medicines to wholesalers, pharmacies, hospitals and government buyers. Oncology was the largest therapy area at roughly $25.6 billion of revenue, up 17%, followed by Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism, with Respiratory and Immunology and Rare Disease making up most of the balance.
- Alliance Revenue~5%
Alliance Revenue was $3,067 million in 2025, up 39%, or about 5% of Total Revenue. It is mostly AstraZeneca's share of profits on co-commercialised medicines, led by the Enhertu and datopotamab deruxtecan antibody-drug conjugates developed with Daiichi Sankyo, plus Tezspire with Amgen and Lynparza and Koselugo with Merck in certain markets.
- Collaboration Revenue<1%
Collaboration Revenue was $99 million in 2025, down 89% from $923 million in 2024, so less than 1% of Total Revenue. It covers upfront fees, milestone payments and royalties on out-licensed assets, and moves sharply year to year because it depends on when individual deals are signed.
Johnson & Johnson
- Innovative Medicine~64%
Innovative Medicine generated $60.401 billion in FY2025 sales across oncology, immunology, neuroscience, pulmonary hypertension, infectious disease, and cardiovascular/metabolism.
- MedTech~36%
MedTech generated $33.792 billion in FY2025 sales across surgery, orthopaedics, cardiovascular, and vision products.
Business model and strategy
AstraZeneca
How it makes money
AstraZeneca discovers, develops and sells prescription medicines, and the economics turn on patent-protected pricing funded by heavy research spending. It invested $14.2 billion in research and development in 2025, about a quarter of Total Revenue, and reported gross profit of $48.1 billion on cost of sales of $10.6 billion.
Growth strategy
AstraZeneca's growth strategy relies on extending its existing cancer drugs into earlier stages of treatment, before the cancer spreads, which increases the number of patients who can be treated. The $39 billion acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals in 2021 also took it into rare diseases, where drugs treat small patient populations, carry high prices and face little generic competition.
Competitive advantage
AstraZeneca's main advantage is the depth of its oncology portfolio and the Phase III evidence behind it. Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Enhertu, Lynparza and Calquence each rest on trials that changed treatment practice, and the company had more than 100 Phase III studies running at the end of 2025 after 16 positive Phase III readouts during the year.
Johnson & Johnson
How it makes money
J&J makes money in two ways. Innovative Medicine (about 64% of FY2025 sales, $60.4 billion) sells patented prescription medicines to wholesalers, specialty pharmacies, hospitals, and governments; key products include DARZALEX for multiple myeloma, TREMFYA and STELARA in immunology, ERLEADA in prostate cancer, CARVYKTI cell therapy, and CAPLYTA, added through the 2025 Intra-Cellular Therapies deal.
Growth strategy
J&J is narrowing its portfolio toward higher-growth areas. It spun off consumer health as Kenvue in 2023, announced in October 2025 that it will separate its orthopaedics business as DePuy Synthes, and used acquisitions to refill its pipeline: Abiomed ($16.6 billion, 2022), Shockwave Medical ($13.1 billion, 2024), and Intra-Cellular Therapies ($14.6 billion, 2025).
Competitive advantage
J&J's edge is breadth plus balance-sheet strength. It runs one of the largest pharmaceutical R&D budgets in the industry, holds a AAA credit rating from S&P (one of only two US companies with that rating, alongside Microsoft), and sells into hospitals across pharmaceuticals and devices at the same time.
Questions about AstraZeneca vs Johnson & Johnson
Which company has higher revenue — AstraZeneca PLC or Johnson & Johnson?
AstraZeneca PLC reported $58.7B (FY2025), while Johnson & Johnson reported $94.2B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Johnson & Johnson is the larger business, with AstraZeneca PLC reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of AstraZeneca PLC vs Johnson & Johnson?
AstraZeneca PLC's market capitalisation stands at $254.6B, while Johnson & Johnson's is $643.9B. Johnson & Johnson carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to AstraZeneca PLC.
Which is more financially efficient — AstraZeneca PLC or Johnson & Johnson?
AstraZeneca PLC generates $611k / employee in revenue per employee, while Johnson & Johnson generates $669k / employee. Johnson & Johnson shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do AstraZeneca PLC and Johnson & Johnson make money?
AstraZeneca PLC and Johnson & Johnson generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. AstraZeneca PLC: AstraZeneca discovers, develops and sells prescription medicines, and the economics turn on patent-protected pricing funded by heavy research spending. Johnson & Johnson: J&J makes money in two ways.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — AstraZeneca PLC or Johnson & Johnson?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, AstraZeneca PLC trades at 4.3x P/S and Johnson & Johnson at 6.8x P/S. Johnson & Johnson commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to AstraZeneca PLC. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is AstraZeneca PLC bigger than Johnson & Johnson?
By last reported revenue, Johnson & Johnson ($94.2B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to AstraZeneca PLC ($58.7B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the AstraZeneca vs Johnson & Johnson overview