ABBOTT LABORATORIES vs Merck & Co., Inc., two Drug Manufacturers stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where ABT and MRK diverge most: on ev/ebitda, ABT reads 18.5 and MRK reads 126.9; on p/e, ABT reads 27.9 and MRK reads 116.5. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's ABT price has a different growth bar priced in than MRK (+8.8% implied for ABT vs +10.6% for MRK); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What ABT's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | ABT | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.62 | $145.57 |
| Market cap | $174.0B | $359.6B |
| Sector | Drug Manufacturers | Drug Manufacturers |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +8.8% | +10.6% |
| P/E | 27.9 | 116.5 |
| P/B | 3.30 | 8.56 |
| P/S | 3.86 | 5.40 |
| EV/EBITDA | 18.5 | 126.9 |
| Revenue growth | +6.6% | +4.7% |
| Operating margin | 12.1% | — |
| Net margin | 13.9% | 4.8% |
| Return on equity | 11.9% | 7.6% |
| Return on assets | 5.7% | 2.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 6.6% | 2.2% |
| FCF yield | 4.2% | 4.5% |
| Dividend yield | 2.4% | 2.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.65 | 1.28 |
| Current ratio | 1.39 | 1.32 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.16 | 7.28 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.