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 debt / equity, AZN reads 0.00 and MRK reads 1.07; on ev/ebitda, AZN reads 18.9 and MRK reads 600.7. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's AZN price has a different growth bar priced in than MRK (+21.0% implied for AZN vs +6.2% for MRK); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What AZN's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What MRK'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 | AZN | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $171.60 | $123.48 |
| Market cap | $266.0B | $305.2B |
| Sector | Drug Manufacturers | Drug Manufacturers |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +21.0% | +6.2% |
| P/E | 26.0 | 34.8 |
| P/B | 5.46 | 6.65 |
| P/S | 4.53 | 4.64 |
| EV/EBITDA | 18.9 | 600.7 |
| Revenue growth | +12.1% | +2.9% |
| Gross margin | 81.9% | — |
| Operating margin | 23.4% | — |
| Net margin | 17.4% | 13.6% |
| Return on equity | 21.0% | 19.4% |
| Return on assets | 9.0% | 6.9% |
| Return on invested capital | 23.3% | — |
| FCF yield | 4.4% | 4.6% |
| Dividend yield | — | 2.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 1.07 |
| Current ratio | 0.94 | 1.30 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 3.47 | 7.31 |
| 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.