Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) vs Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX)
The same free fields, in the same order, for both companies, so a figure on one line can be read straight across.
This page states measurements and nothing else. It does not rank the two companies, name one of them, or draw a conclusion from the figures.
Data as of Oct 27, 2026, for both companies.
The figures, field by field
A dash means the snapshot carries no figure for that company on that line. A line is dropped only when neither company has it, so a dash beside a figure is a fact about coverage, not about either company.
| MRK | VRTX | |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Drug Manufacturers - General | Biotechnology |
| Size band | MEGA | LARGE |
| Listing | NYSE | Nasdaq GS |
| Country | United States | United States |
| Theme | oncology | rare-disease |
| Price and returns | ||
| Last close | $140.61 | $517.49 |
| Return · 1 week | −2.10% | +3.10% |
| Return · 1 month | −5.43% | −1.93% |
| Return · 3 months | +6.67% | +5.53% |
| Return · year to date | +33.07% | +14.46% |
| Return · 1 year | +62.34% | +23.16% |
| Distance from the 52-week highThe last close measured against the highest close of the past 52 weeks. | −10.39% | −7.63% |
| 52-week high | $156.92 | $560.25 |
| 52-week low | $82.01 | $403.16 |
| Size and turnover | ||
| Market value · USDConverted to US dollars, so two companies listed in different currencies sit under one heading. | $346.91B | $131.08B |
| Turnover · median day, USDThe median value traded in a session over the past 50 sessions. | $1.24B | $494.46M |
| Employees | 73,000 | 6,400 |
| Valuation | ||
| Price to earnings · trailing | 115.56× | 29.71× |
| Price to earnings · forward | 15.62× | 25.37× |
| Price to sales | 5.40× | 10.26× |
| Price to book | 8.57× | 6.38× |
| Enterprise value to EBITDA | 13.82× | 23.98× |
| Enterprise value to revenue | 6.00× | 9.72× |
| PEG ratio | 2.59 | 1.96 |
| Earnings per share · trailing | 1.26 | 17.17 |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 72.97% | 86.00% |
| Operating margin | −0.24% | 38.06% |
| Profit margin | 4.77% | 35.00% |
| Return on equity | 6.96% | 23.54% |
| Return on assets | 11.87% | 11.93% |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | +5.10% | +12.50% |
| Earnings growth | — | +8.00% |
| Balance sheet and payout | ||
| Debt / equity (%) | 128.41 | 9.77 |
| Current ratio | 1.32 | 3.19 |
| Dividend yield | 2.38% | 0.00% |
| Payout ratio | 266.67% | 0.00% |
| Trend and volatility | ||
| RSI · 14 | 42.46 | 39.03 |
| ADX · 14 | 16.51 | 16.39 |
| 50-day average | $146.74 | $518.20 |
| 200-day average | $126.01 | $473.62 |
| Average true range · share of priceAverage true range over 14 sessions, stated as a share of the last close, so it can be read across two share prices. | 3.41% | 2.21% |
The full MRK analysis
Everything this table leaves out for Merck & Co., Inc.: the plain-language summary and key points, the accumulation read, signal history, full fundamentals, market context, and the case each side of the MRK argument makes.
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Open the full MRK analysisThe full VRTX analysis
Everything this table leaves out for Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated: the plain-language summary and key points, the accumulation read, signal history, full fundamentals, market context, and the case each side of the VRTX argument makes.
$9.90 per stock, one time, 30 days of access.
Open the full VRTX analysis