JNJ vs MRK Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare Johnson & Johnson and Merck by drug pipeline depth, oncology revenue, medical device strength, dividend growth, and long-term shareholder value.
Use this Johnson & Johnson vs Merck comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
MRK holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. MRK leads on both 1-year return (+56.19%) and forward P/E quality (13.20x vs 19.73x for JNJ), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. On fundamentals, JNJ is growing revenue faster (6.60%), while MRK maintains the higher operating margin (38.60%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +6.68% for JNJ and +5.13% for MRK.
| Metric | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 43.1 | 52.9 |
| AI rank | #874 | #339 |
| Latest close | $255.63 | $127.47 |
| 1M return | +10.52% | +10.38% |
| 6M return | +17.26% | +14.72% |
| 1Y return | +52.22% | +56.19% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $15.12K (+51.2%) started 2025-07-23 | $15.18K (+51.8%) started 2025-07-23 |
| 5Y ago | $18.54K (+85.4%) started 2021-07-26 | $20.81K (+108.1%) started 2021-07-26 |
| 10Y ago | $34.12K (+241.2%) started 2016-07-25 | $40.11K (+301.1%) started 2016-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $609.12B | $314.9B |
| Trailing P/E | 29.32 | 36.02 |
| Forward P/E | 19.73 | 13.20 |
| Price/Sales | 4.18 | 3.10 |
| EV/Revenue | 6.56 | 5.45 |
| Analyst target | $269.95 | $134.04 |
| Target upside | +6.68% | +5.13% |
| Metric | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 6.60% | 4.90% |
| Earnings growth | -1.00% | -19.30% |
| EPS growth | -1.00% | -19.30% |
| FCF margin | +12.78% | +21.36% |
| Operating margin | 28.61% | 38.60% |
| Profit margin | 21.48% | 13.59% |
| ROIC proxy | 26.42% | 18.94% |
| Return on equity | 26.42% | 18.94% |
| Dividend yield | 2.12% | 2.67% |
| Beta | 0.23 | 0.20 |
| Debt/equity | 67.73 | 106.94 |
| Current ratio | 1.02 | 1.30 |
| Quick ratio | 0.69 | 0.70 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +51.17% | +51.79% |
| CAGR | +51.32% | +51.94% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 2.14 | 1.48 | |
| Max drawdown | 10.96% | 11.90% | |
| Max daily drop | 2.69% | 4.44% | |
| Max wkly drop | 6.22% | 7.12% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +65.60% | +84.80% |
| CAGR | +10.63% | +13.09% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.41 | 0.45 | |
| Max drawdown | 18.41% | 43.44% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.59% | 9.86% | |
| Max wkly drop | 9.18% | 13.42% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +160.32% | +197.02% |
| CAGR | +10.05% | +11.51% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.37 | 0.39 | |
| Max drawdown | 27.37% | 43.44% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.04% | 9.86% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.25% | 13.71% |
| Category | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Company | JNJ | MRK |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Drug Manufacturers - General | Drug Manufacturers - General |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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