BMEZ vs VRTX: Correlation
BlackRock Health Sciences Term Trust (BMEZ) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) show a moderate relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.48.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are BMEZ and VRTX?
Over the past 3 years, BMEZ and VRTX moved with a correlation of 0.48, which is moderate. The relationship has been stable: the 1-year correlation (0.58) sits close to the 3-year figure. Over 5 years the correlation is 0.38, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 239.8 %².
Within BMEZ's tracked universe of 23 assets, VRTX comes in at #9 by 3-year correlation. Over the last 12 months VRTX came out ahead by 9.3 percentage points (+31.4% against +40.7%). Note the risk asymmetry: VRTX runs 1.8 times the annualized volatility of the other leg, so equal-weighting the two is not an equal-risk position.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
BMEZ vs VRTX: side by side
| BMEZ (BlackRock Health Sciences Term Trust) | VRTX (Vertex Pharmaceuticals) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +31.4% | +40.7% |
| 5-year return | +0.9% | +174.5% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 16.5% | 30.3% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.63 | 0.55 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -18.3% | -29.1% |
| Market cap | $1.1B | $138.8B |
| P/E (trailing) | 6.7 | 31.9 |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | Health Care |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | BMEZ | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -32.7% | +31.5% |
| 2023 | +5.1% | +40.9% |
| 2024 | +9.5% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | +18.7% | +12.6% |
| 2026 | +20.6% | +20.8% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are BMEZ and VRTX good diversifiers for each other?
Yes, to a useful degree: a correlation of 0.48 leaves real independence between the two, which historically damped combined volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between BMEZ and VRTX?
Using weekly returns as of 2026-08-27: 0.48 over 3 years, with 0.58 over the last year and 0.38 over 5 years.
Is VRTX a good diversifier for BMEZ?
Yes, to a useful degree: a correlation of 0.48 leaves real independence between the two, which historically damped combined volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.48 mean?
A reading of 0.48 sits on a scale from −1 (opposite moves) through 0 (unrelated) to +1 (identical moves). Correlation captures direction, not magnitude or performance.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/bmez-vs-vrtx.json
Markdown for the live badge, attribution link included:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/bmez-vs-vrtx/)
The core API is free. Terms and every endpoint in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: BMEZ correlations · VRTX correlations
