Debt burden is moderate, so it can be affected by the economic cycle.
Metrics · D/E ~128% · Current Ratio 1.32
💲Is the price expensive now?
On the expensive side
Even accounting for growth expectations, the price is set high.
Metrics · P/E 119.8 · P/B 9.0
💡Two straight GAAP loss quarters from the Cidara and Terns charges left net margin at 4.8%, ROE 7.0%, and P/E near 120x. Debt 1.28x and liquidity 1.32x are fine.
Compiled from public financial data. Not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. · Source: stockanalysis (margins, ROE, P/B, debt, liquidity are TTM through 2026-06-30) · operating margin is GAAP from quarterly filings · P/E on the Aug 21 close, as of 2026-08-21
Business Summary · Key Value Metrics
A large U.S. pharmaceutical company (known as MSD outside North America). Its flagship immuno-oncology drug Keytruda accounted for nearly half of 2025 revenue (about $31.7B). It also owns the HPV vaccine Gardasil and Merck Animal Health. TTM revenue $66.6B. Q2 2026 sales were $16.6B (+5%). GAAP operating margin compressed to 28.1% TTM on large acquisition-related charges.
Merck leads global oncology with Keytruda (~$31.7B in 2025, nearly half of sales). In Q2 2026 the Keytruda family (Keytruda + Qlex) did $8.4B (+5%), with subcutaneous Qlex at $463M. Indications across 30+ cancers and global regulatory/distribution infrastructure form the moat. GAAP operating margin is compressed to 28.1% TTM by large acquisition charges (source: company IR Aug 4, tvremix).
Keytruda Franchise
An immuno-oncology drug approved for more than 30 cancer types, with about $31.7B in 2025 revenue — close to half of company-wide sales.
Patent and Regulatory Barriers
New drug development requires enormous clinical costs and lengthy regulatory approval, making it hard for latecomers to enter.
Pipeline Defense Strategy
New formulations such as the subcutaneous Keytruda Qlex aim to defend revenue even after the 2028 patent expiry.
Business Diversification
The HPV vaccine Gardasil and Merck Animal Health partly ease its dependence on oncology.
10-Year Financial Trends
In Q2 2026 (reported Aug 4), sales were $16.6B (+5%; +4% ex-FX), Keytruda/Qlex $8.4B (+5%; Qlex $463M), WINREVAIR $588M (+75%), and Animal Health $1.8B (+8%). GAAP net loss was $1.34B and diluted EPS -$0.54, reflecting a $2.31/share ($5.7B) charge for the Terns acquisition. FY2026 sales guidance was raised to $66.3–67.3B; non-GAAP EPS $2.66–2.76 (includes $2.43/share related to Terns). TTM revenue $66.6B, operating margin 28.1%, net margin 4.8%, and ROE 7.0% carry Cidara (Q1) and Terns (Q2) charges from two straight quarters (TTM through 2026-06-30; source: company IR, stockanalysis).
10-Year Growth
Revenue$65.0B · CAGR +5.6%
Operating Income$21.2B · CAGR +16.4%
EPS$7.28 · CAGR +20.0%
10-Year Valuation
P/E (year-end)14.5x · avg 16.1x
ROE36.9% · avg 30.4%
Operating Margin32.6% · avg 21.4%
📊 Annual Data Table (MRK) — expand/collapse
Year
Revenue (B$)
Op. Income (B$)
EPS ($)
P/E (x)
ROE (%)
Op. Margin (%)
2016
39.8
5.4
1.41
—
—
13.5
2017
40.1
6.5
0.87
—
—
16.3
2018
42.3
8.3
2.32
—
—
19.6
2019
46.8
11.6
3.81
—
—
24.8
2020
48
7.9
2.78
—
—
16.5
2021
48.7
12.5
4.86
15.77
38.82
25.7
2022
59.3
17.9
5.71
19.43
34.46
30.3
2023
60.1
2.4
0.14
—
0.9
3.9
2024
64.2
19.9
6.74
14.76
40.79
31
2025
65
21.2
7.28
14.46
36.88
32.6
— = no data for that year/metric (P/E omitted before EPS turned positive)
9-Year CAGR: Revenue +5.6% · Operating Income +16.5% · Net Income +18.6% · EPS +20.0%
Source: SEC EDGAR XBRL (companyfacts, CIK 0000310158), stockanalysis, company IR (8-K). Fiscal year (December year-end) GAAP basis; EPS is diluted. 2016–2020 are on a whole-company basis before the June 2021 Organon spin-off, while 2021 onward is on a continuing-operations basis after the spin-off, so the revenue and net-income scope differs. Due to data limits, P/E and ROE cover the last 5 years (stockanalysis), and P/E excludes 2023 from the table.
Mega-Cap Value Metric Comparison
Merck's 28.1% GAAP operating margin (TTM) is similar to Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, 26.9%) and below Eli Lilly (LLY, 47.3%). Its P/E (TTM) of 119.9x sits far above JNJ (29.4x) and LLY (43.5x), but that gap is not valuation — TTM net income is depressed by the Cidara and Terns charges. On the company's FY2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance ($2.66-2.76) it is about 56x (source: tvremix, company IR, peer reports; peer dates differ).
Metric
★ MRK
JNJ
LLY
Operating Margin
28.1%
26.9%
47.3%
P/E (TTM)
119.9x
29.4x
43.5x
JNJ and LLY figures are as of their report date (2026-06-26), which differs from MRK's (2026-08-21) · MRK margin/P/E from tvremix TTM.
Key Risk Factors (from 10-K)
●
Keytruda Patent Expiry (2028)— Keytruda, roughly half of revenue, has its U.S. composition-of-matter patent expiring in December 2028 (2031 in Europe). The subcutaneous Keytruda Qlex is a defense, but the risk of revenue erosion is significant.Source: Company 10-K Risk Factors, press reports
●
Volatility from Large Acquisition Costs— Acquisition-related R&D charges — Prometheus (2023), Cidara Therapeutics (Q1 2026, about $9B), and Terns Pharmaceuticals (Q2 2026, about $5.7B or $2.31/share) — swing GAAP net income sharply. Both Q1 and Q2 2026 posted GAAP losses.Source: SEC EDGAR, company IR Aug 4
●
Drug-Pricing Policy Risk— Key products such as Keytruda could eventually be subject to Medicare price negotiation under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).Source: Company 10-K Risk Factors
●
Slowing Gardasil Demand in China— Channel-inventory adjustments for the HPV vaccine Gardasil in China cut regional sales in 2024–2025.Source: Company earnings releases
✦ ValueCrab Dashboard PreviewMRK $152.55 +2.39% · as of 2026-08-21
Q. What are Merck's (MRK) key value-investing metrics?P/E (TTM) 119.9x, ROE 7.0%, operating margin 28.1%, net margin 4.8%, dividend yield 2.23%, and a 9-year revenue CAGR of +5.6% (source: stockanalysis, company IR, as of 2026-08-21). ROE, margins, and P/E are depressed by Cidara and Terns acquisition charges. Q2 2026 sales were $16.6B (+5%).
Q. When does Keytruda's patent expire?The U.S. composition-of-matter patent is set to expire in December 2028, and Europe in 2031. Merck is trying to defend part of its revenue after expiry with the subcutaneous 'Keytruda Qlex.' (This is informational and not a recommendation to buy or sell.)
Q. How is it as a dividend stock?As a dividend grower that has raised its payout for 15 straight years, it currently yields about 2.23%. The trailing payout ratio can look temporarily high because acquisition charges depressed TTM net income.
Q. Who are the main competitors?Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Eli Lilly (LLY), among others. Its operating margin is higher than JNJ's but lower than fast-growing LLY's, which is riding GLP-1 drugs.