Pharmaceutical Stocks
Top 10 of 25 PPH holdings, updated
As of 12 October 2026, pharmaceutical stocks are trailing the S&P 500, over the past month and over the longer run. PPH trails the S&P 500 by 0.6 points over one month and ranks #24 of 115 groups Zensei tracks. 12 of the 23 pharmaceutical stocks Zensei prices in PPH beat the fund this month.
Where pharmaceutical stocks stand now
As of 12 October 2026, Pharmaceutical (PPH) ranks #24 of the 115 groups Zensei tracks by one-month return against the S&P 500. It is out of favor: it trails the S&P 500 on both rotation windows — 0.6 points behind over the past month and 1.4 points behind over the longer, time-shifted window. That is the Underperformers quadrant.
On the shorter tape, PPH's momentum is weakening: the intraday trend that carried the move is cooling across the shorter windows. PPH's relative-strength line has broken below its long-term average — the long-term outperformance trend is no longer intact. Both signals point the same direction here: the market is not rewarding this group on either horizon.
The exposure comes via VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF, whose 25 tracked holdings are led by Eli Lilly and Co, Merck & Co Inc and Novo Nordisk As. Weighted by portfolio, the fund's holdings trade at roughly 25.0× earnings. The thing to watch from here is the one-month spread: underperformers only become interesting when the recent window turns positive first — until then, the market is voting elsewhere.
Top pharmaceutical stocks right now
The largest pharmaceutical stocks by weight in PPH, and the strongest over the past month. Size and recent return are measurements, not recommendations.
Largest by fund weight
Share of PPH
- 1Eli Lilly and CoLLY20.9%
- 2Merck & Co IncMRK13.2%
- 3Novo Nordisk AsNVO5.6%
- 4Pfizer IncPFE5.0%
- 5Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd4.8%
Strongest this month
1-month return, holdings Zensei prices
- 1Perrigo Co PLCPRGO+13.1%
- 2Abbvie IncABBV+9.3%
- 3Mckesson CorpMCK+8.4%
- 4Corcept Therapeutics IncCORT+7.4%
- 5Viatris IncVTRS+6.2%
Pharmaceutical Stocks vs the S&P 500
Over the week to 12 October 2026, PPH rose 2.9% while the S&P 500 rose 0.4%. PPH and SPY (the S&P 500) over every window Zensei tracks. The spread is the difference: positive means PPH won that window.
Prices as of · computed from daily adjusted closes · how we measure
Pharmaceutical on the rotation map, against the 11 broad S&P 500 sectors. Vertical: 1-month spread vs the S&P 500. Horizontal: the longer, time-shifted window.
Are pharmaceutical stocks expensive?
The price-to-earnings ratio of PPH as a whole: the total price of its holdings over their total earnings, weighted by share of the fund. Holdings that lose money are left out.
PPH holdings: the pharmaceutical stocks inside
As of 12 October 2026, 12 of the 23 pharmaceutical stocks Zensei prices in PPH beat the fund over the past month. 11 of them beat the S&P 500. The strongest is Perrigo Co PLC (PRGO); the weakest is Axsome Therapeutics Inc (AXSM). Inside the fund, one or two outliers drive most of the move.
| # | Holding | Weight | 1M | 3M | vs fund 1M | Momentum | RS health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LLYEli Lilly and Co | 20.9% | +5.9% | +0.2% | +4.5 pts | Strong | Holding |
| 2 | MRKMerck & Co Inc | 13.2% | +1.7% | +18.0% | +0.2 pts | Weak | Broken |
| 3 | NVONovo Nordisk As | 5.6% | −10.4% | −20.7% | −11.9 pts | Weak | Broken |
| 4 | PFEPfizer Inc | 5.0% | +2.5% | +18.1% | |||
| 5 | Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd | 4.8% | — | — | No price data | ||
| 6 | MCKMckesson Corp | 4.7% | +8.4% | +17.8% | |||
| 7 | BMYBristol-Myers Squibb Co | 4.7% | −8.6% | −2.0% | |||
| 8 | CORCencora Inc | 4.5% | +1.1% | +6.4% | |||
| 9 | GSKGsk PLC | 4.4% | −2.5% | −9.5% | |||
| 10 | ABBVAbbvie Inc | 3.7% | +9.3% | +14.1% | |||
All 25 PPH holdings by weight: Eli Lilly and Co (LLY) 20.9%, Merck & Co Inc (MRK) 13.2%, Novo Nordisk As (NVO) 5.6%, Pfizer Inc (PFE) 5.0%, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd 4.8%, Mckesson Corp (MCK) 4.7%, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY) 4.7%, Cencora Inc (COR) 4.5%, Gsk PLC (GSK) 4.4%, Abbvie Inc (ABBV) 3.7%, Haleon PLC (HLN) 3.7%, Novartis AG (NVS) 3.6%, Astrazeneca PLC 3.6%, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 3.4%, Sanofi SA (SNY) 3.3%, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (TAK) 2.7%, Zoetis Inc (ZTS) 2.5%, Viatris Inc (VTRS) 1.5%, Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC (JAZZ) 1.3%, Corcept Therapeutics Inc (CORT) 0.8%, Axsome Therapeutics Inc (AXSM) 0.7%, Elanco Animal Health Inc (ELAN) 0.5%, Definium Therapeutics Inc (DFTX) 0.5%, Organon & Co (OGN) 0.3%, Perrigo Co PLC (PRGO) 0.1%.
Pharmaceutical Stocks: common questions
What are the top 3 pharmaceutical stocks?
As of 12 October 2026, the three largest pharmaceutical stocks in PPH by fund weight are Eli Lilly and Co (LLY) (20.9%), Merck & Co Inc (MRK) (13.2%) and Novo Nordisk As (NVO) (5.6%). Fund weight shows size inside the fund, not a recommendation.
Which pharmaceutical stocks are beating the sector?
As of 12 October 2026, 12 of the 23 pharmaceutical stocks Zensei prices in PPH beat the fund over the past month. The strongest over the past month is Perrigo Co PLC (PRGO). The list above shows every holding with its weight and returns.
Are pharmaceutical stocks outperforming the S&P 500?
No. As of 12 October 2026, PPH trails the S&P 500 by 0.6 points over the past month.
Is it a good time to invest in pharmaceutical stocks?
Zensei does not give investment advice, but it measures the trend. As of 12 October 2026, pharmaceutical stocks are behind the S&P 500 on both the recent and the longer window. The rotation map and the read on this page show whether that trend is building or fading.
What is PPH?
PPH is VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF. Zensei uses it to measure pharmaceutical stocks against the S&P 500 (SPY).
What stocks does PPH own?
As of 12 October 2026, the largest of the 25 positions Zensei tracks in PPH are Eli Lilly and Co, Merck & Co Inc, Novo Nordisk As, Pfizer Inc, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Each position measured against the fund, with momentum and relative strength, is part of Zensei Premium.
What quadrant is pharmaceutical in right now?
As of 12 October 2026, pharmaceutical is in the Underperformers quadrant — trailing the S&P 500 on both windows. The Zensei methodology page explains the quadrants.
Recent changes
- ·Losing ground → trailing the market
- ·Trailing the market → losing ground
- ·Losing ground → trailing the market
- ·First tracked: losing ground
Related sectors
Track pharmaceutical against the whole market
Zensei Edge maps 100+ sectors and themes against the S&P 500 — with the stocks inside each one, rotation history and alerts when leadership changes hands.