ASTRAZENECA PLC vs Merck & Co., Inc., two Drug Manufacturers stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AZN and MRK diverge most: on ev/ebitda, AZN reads 14.3 and MRK reads 126.9; on return on invested capital, AZN reads 14.8% and MRK reads 2.2%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | AZN | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $159.18 | $145.57 |
| Market cap | $246.7B | $359.6B |
| Sector | Drug Manufacturers | Drug Manufacturers |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +10.6% |
| P/E | 24.1 | 116.5 |
| P/B | 5.06 | 8.56 |
| P/S | 4.20 | 5.40 |
| EV/EBITDA | 14.3 | 126.9 |
| Revenue growth | +12.1% | +4.7% |
| Gross margin | 81.9% | — |
| Operating margin | 23.4% | — |
| Net margin | 17.4% | 4.8% |
| Return on equity | 21.0% | 7.6% |
| Return on assets | 9.0% | 2.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 14.8% | 2.2% |
| FCF yield | 4.8% | 4.5% |
| Dividend yield | — | 2.3% |
| Debt / equity | 0.57 | 1.28 |
| Current ratio | 0.94 | 1.32 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.29 | 7.28 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 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.