Merck And Co Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Merck And Co Inc (MRK) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Merck And Co Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 66,569M vs 634,140M combined for tracked competitors (9.5% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is holding steady (-0.2% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+4.4%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Merck And Co Inc generated 5.1% revenue growth year over year in Q2 2026, vs 10.8% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its -8.1% net margin compares with 9.4% for the peer group.
- Scale: Merck And Co Inc ranks #5 of 544 companies by market capitalization in the Major Pharmaceutical Preparations industry, holding 6.7% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Merck And Co Inc accounted for 9.1% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 9.6% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.89M compares with $0.90M for the peer group (1.0x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
MRK Sales vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Merck And Co Inc reported revenue growth of 5.07 % year on year in Q2 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 10.82 %.
With a net margin of -8.05 %, Merck And Co Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (9.41 %).
Merck And Co Inc generated 9.12 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 9.57 % a year earlier.
Merck And Co Inc vs. its Competitors, Q2 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Merck And Co Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (83) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (6) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Merck And Co Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Major Pharmaceutical Preparations industry grew revenue 7.2% year over year, combined, vs 5.1% for Merck And Co Inc. Merck And Co Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 2.20% to 2.16%, a loss of 0.04 percentage points.
Merck And Co Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Competitors combined (177) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (119) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (9) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
MRK Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
MRK Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
MRK Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gt Biopharma Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Sellas Life Sciences Group Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Iovance Biotherapeutics inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Revolution Medicines Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Damora Therapeutics Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Merck And Co Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Merck And Co Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Merck and Co Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | 367,264.30 | 66,569.00 |
| Eli Lilly And Company | 1,058,837.89 | 79,665.80 |
| Johnson and Johnson | 663,585.20 | 97,929.00 |
| Beone Medicines Ltd | 552,467.82 | 6,128.24 |
| Abbvie Inc | 471,581.88 | 64,386.00 |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 361,061.51 | 87,032.00 |
| SUBTOTAL | 5,862,955.29 | 1,001,979.34 |
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Sources: Merck and Co Inc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Merck and Co Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Merck And Co Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Lumos Pharma Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Curanex Pharmaceuticals Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Ayala Pharmaceuticals Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sunshine Biopharma Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sellas Life Sciences Group Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| AstraZeneca | Named by the company | 85% |
| Dynavax Technologies Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| Akero Therapeutics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Anavex Life Sciences Corp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sutro Biopharma Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Mirati Therapeutics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| ENTO | Named by the company | 85% |
| Bnb Plus Corp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Novavax inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Greenwich Lifesciences Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Carisma Therapeutics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Twist Bioscience Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| Optinose Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Immutep Limited | Named by the company | 85% |
| Invo Fertility Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Chemomab Therapeutics Ltd | Named by the company | 85% |
| Voyager Therapeutics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Propanc Biopharma Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Lineage Cell Therapeutics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Cytomx Therapeutics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Abivax Sa | Named by the company | 85% |
| Qnity Electronics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Mangoceuticals Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Dupont De Nemours Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Agile Therapeutics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sagimet Biosciences inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Altimmune inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sonnet Biotherapeutics Holdings Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP | Named by the company | 85% |
| Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Briacell Therapeutics Corp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Bio techne Corp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Nanoviricides inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Ernexa Therapeutics Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Merck And Co Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Merck And Co Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | Pharmaceutical segment 88.88 % |
| Eli Lilly And Company | Reportable 100.00 % |
| Johnson and Johnson | Oncology 29.26 % |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Fabric & Home Care 34.83 % |
| Amgen Inc | Reportable 100.00 % |
| Abbott Laboratories | Diabetes Care 17.78 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Merck And Co Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | 367,264 | 887,587 | 42,267 |
| Eli Lilly And Company | 1,058,838 | 1,593,316 | 534,224 |
| Johnson and Johnson | 663,585 | 695,518 | 149,411 |
| Beone Medicines Ltd | 552,468 | 510,686 | 54,642 |
| Abbvie Inc | 471,582 | 1,129,579 | 110,807 |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 361,062 | 836,846 | 155,231 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 5,495,691 | 895,998 | 137,421 |
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Merck And Co Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | EMEA 23.60 % |
| Eli Lilly And Company | United States 61.21 % |
| Johnson and Johnson | United States 57.42 % |
| Beone Medicines Ltd | United States 51.69 % |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Non-US 52.05 % |
| Gilead Sciences Inc | United States 70.78 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Merck And Co Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 498 companies in Merck And Co Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Merck And Co Inc ranks #5 of 498 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 6.67 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 827, indicating a unconcentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Lilly And Company | 1,062,533 | 19.39 % |
| 2 | Johnson and Johnson | 664,610 | 12.13 % |
| 3 | Beone Medicines Ltd | 545,679 | 9.96 % |
| 4 | Abbvie Inc | 467,633 | 8.54 % |
| 5 | Merck and Co Inc | 365,684 | 6.67 % |
| 6 | Novartis Ag | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Abbott Laboratories | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Novo Nordisk A | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Pfizer Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Merck And Co Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Merck And Co Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Lilly And Company | 1,062,533 | 66.38 % |
| 2 | Johnson and Johnson | 664,610 | 53.25 % |
| 3 | Beone Medicines Ltd | 545,679 | 10.28 % |
| 4 | Abbvie Inc | 467,633 | 20.82 % |
| 5 | Merck and Co Inc | 365,684 | 90.79 % |
| 6 | Novartis Ag | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 7 | Abbott Laboratories | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 8 | Novo Nordisk A | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 9 | Pfizer Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 10 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Merck And Co Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Merck And Co Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Major Pharmaceutical Preparations industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (341 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 72.97 % | 64.89 % (avg) | +8.1 pp |
| Operating Margin | - | industry median | - |
| EBITDA Margin | 19.02 % | -7.21 % (avg) | +26.2 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 5.86 % | 4.92 % (avg) | +0.9 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Merck And Co Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Major Pharmaceutical Preparations industry average (341 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 97.4x | 25.1x | +72.3x |
| EV / EBITDA | 26.5x | 17.3x | +9.2x |
| P/B | 6.2x | 4.5x | +1.7x |
| Return on Equity | 6.59 % | industry aggregate | -10.66 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | - | -2.95 % (avg) | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Merck And Co Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 5.41 % | 10.75 % | 2.46 % | 1.48 % | 21.72 % | 1.40 % | 6.74 % | 1.31 % |
| Operating Margin | 19.62 % | 24.77 % | 16.47 % | 25.74 % | 30.27 % | 3.92 % | 31.03 % | 32.64 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 8.51 % | 12.85 % | 8.49 % | 11.95 % | 14.49 % | 2.03 % | 16.27 % | 15.04 % |
| P/E | 30.8x | 22.0x | 29.2x | 15.4x | 18.9x | 595.0x | 14.8x | 14.0x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Merck And Co Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Merck And Co Inc's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Merck And Co Inc falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.34x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 8.0% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Merck And Co Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | High | Industry HHI of 827 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | High (capital intensive) | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 5.86 % vs industry average 4.92 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Merck And Co Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Merck And Co Inc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Merck And Co Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Merck And Co Inc falls in the Low attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Harvest.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Merck And Co Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 10.7 points below the industry aggregate.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.34x).
- Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below, the standard financial-distress signal.
Opportunities
- A meaningful share of tracked competitors (36.40 %) show financial-distress signals, a possible opening to gain share.
Threats
- High capital intensity requires continuous reinvestment just to keep pace with the industry.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Merck And Co Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | 0.40 | 1.46 | 1.01 |
| Eli Lilly And Company | 0.20 | 1.48 | 1.59 |
| Johnson and Johnson | 0.37 | 1.05 | 0.60 |
| Beone Medicines Ltd | 2.30 | 3.16 | 0.23 |
| Abbvie Inc | 0.16 | 0.75 | - |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 0.25 | 0.71 | 0.71 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Merck And Co Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | Q2 2026 | +5.1 % | - |
| Eli Lilly And Company | Q2 2026 | +47.7 % | +25.3 % |
| Johnson and Johnson | Q2 2026 | +6.6 % | -0.1 % |
| Beone Medicines Ltd | Q2 2026 | +29.7 % | +151.3 % |
| Abbvie Inc | Q2 2026 | +10.2 % | +284.3 % |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Q2 2026 | +1.5 % | -15.0 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +8.3 % | -6.6 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Merck And Co Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | Q2 2026 | +23.6 % | +16.9 % |
| Eli Lilly And Company | Q2 2026 | +33.5 % | +72.8 % |
| Johnson and Johnson | Q2 2026 | +5.5 % | +26.7 % |
| Beone Medicines Ltd | Q2 2026 | +6.4 % | -57.0 % |
| Abbvie Inc | Q2 2026 | -1.3 % | +19.7 % |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Q2 2026 | +2.7 % | +2.7 % |
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Merck And Co Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | 2.42% | 3.24% | 6.59% |
| Eli Lilly And Company | 21.97% | 33.95% | 92.54% |
| Johnson and Johnson | 10.60% | 13.30% | 25.74% |
| Beone Medicines Ltd | 7.82% | 10.32% | 14.24% |
| Abbvie Inc | 4.68% | 9.11% | - |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 12.72% | 17.81% | 30.05% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Merck And Co Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Merck and Co Inc | 119.91 | 5.52 |
| Eli Lilly And Company | 39.77 | 13.29 |
| Johnson and Johnson | 31.48 | 6.78 |
| Beone Medicines Ltd | 834.09 | 90.15 |
| Abbvie Inc | 75.22 | 7.32 |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 22.62 | 4.15 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 39.98 | 5.85 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.