PFE vs MRK Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Pfizer and Merck are both major global pharmaceutical companies, but Pfizer is working to rebuild revenue growth and pipeline momentum following the decline of pandemic-related product sales, while Merck's results center on its established, currently growing oncology immunotherapy franchise.
Pfizer offers a potential recovery and pipeline rebuilding story following its pandemic-era revenue decline, while Merck offers exposure to a currently strong, established oncology franchise with its own future patent expiration considerations. Consider whether you prefer Pfizer's recovery potential or Merck's currently stronger oncology growth trajectory.
MRK holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. MRK has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+65.81% vs +21.48%), though PFE has the better forward P/E setup (10.25x vs 15.55x for MRK). On fundamentals, MRK is growing revenue faster (5.10%), while PFE maintains the higher operating margin (27.88%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: -1.08% for PFE and +0.26% for MRK.
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Believe pipeline execution and recent oncology acquisitions can rebuild revenue growth
- Are comfortable with dividend sustainability questions tied to post-pandemic revenue decline
- See potential value in a broad pharmaceutical portfolio still working through a growth recovery
- Want to bet on a turnaround story within a large, well-established pharmaceutical company
- Want exposure to a currently strong, established oncology immunotherapy franchise
- Believe strong research and development capabilities can sustain pipeline innovation
- Value diversification from an established vaccine portfolio alongside oncology
- Prefer a currently growing franchise over a company still rebuilding from a revenue decline
| Metric | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | 40.0 | 51.9 |
| AI ranki | #1161 | #378 |
| Latest closei | $30.03 | $145.27 |
| 1M returni | +6.56% | -1.90% |
| 3M returni | +22.37% | +10.83% |
| 6M returni | +11.22% | +29.82% |
| 1Y returni | +21.48% | +65.81% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $12.17K (+21.7%) started 2025-10-23 | $16.66K (+66.6%) started 2025-10-23 |
| 5Y ago | $10.13K (+1.3%) started 2021-10-25 | $22.01K (+120.1%) started 2021-10-25 |
| 10Y ago | $22.25K (+122.5%) started 2016-10-24 | $43.33K (+333.3%) started 2016-10-24 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | $168.6B | $366B |
| Trailing P/Ei | 38.92 | 118.68 |
| Forward P/Ei | 10.25 | 15.55 |
| Price/Salesi | 2.13 | 3.10 |
| EV/Revenuei | 3.46 | 6.20 |
| Analyst targeti | $29.26 | $148.73 |
| Target upsidei | -1.08% | +0.26% |
| Metric | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | 2.60% | 5.10% |
| Earnings growthi | -10.10% | -19.30% |
| EPS growthi | -10.10% | -19.30% |
| FCF margini | +19.60% | +22.79% |
| Operating margini | 27.88% | -0.24% |
| Profit margini | 6.80% | 4.77% |
| ROIC proxyi | 5.01% | 6.96% |
| Return on equityi | 5.01% | 6.96% |
| Dividend yieldi | 5.81% | 2.29% |
| Payout ratioi | 226.32% | 266.67% |
| Dividend growth streaki | No increase yet | No increase yet |
| Betai | 0.28 | 0.21 |
| Debt/equityi | 74.25 | 128.41 |
| Current ratioi | 1.27 | 1.32 |
| Quick ratioi | 0.85 | 0.74 |
Over the past year, PFE and MRK have moved moderately in the same direction (correlation of 0.44), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +21.73% | +66.63% |
| CAGRi | +21.76% | +66.75% | |
| Volatilityi | 21.57% | 29.66% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.81 | 1.72 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.22 | 3.05 | |
| Max drawdowni | 17.09% | 11.90% | |
| Current drawdowni | 1.28% | 7.15% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 5.03% | 3.84% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 6.72% | 4.95% | |
| Max daily dropi | 3.41% | 4.06% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 8.68% | 6.49% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -16.71% | +97.43% |
| CAGRi | -3.59% | +14.59% | |
| Volatilityi | 25.47% | 24.82% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.19 | 0.49 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.28 | 0.72 | |
| Max drawdowni | 58.96% | 43.44% | |
| Current drawdowni | 41.83% | 7.15% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 38.96% | 12.66% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 41.93% | 17.31% | |
| Max daily dropi | 6.72% | 9.86% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.19% | 13.42% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +42.54% | +223.92% |
| CAGRi | +3.61% | +12.48% | |
| Volatilityi | 24.11% | 23.45% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.08 | 0.43 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.12 | 0.62 | |
| Max drawdowni | 58.96% | 43.44% | |
| Current drawdowni | 41.83% | 7.15% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 23.81% | 9.85% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 30.65% | 13.75% | |
| Max daily dropi | 7.73% | 9.86% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 15.34% | 13.71% |
| Category | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Pfizer Inc. | Merck & Co., Inc. |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Drug Manufacturers - General | Drug Manufacturers - General |
| Core business | A global pharmaceutical company with a broad portfolio spanning vaccines, oncology, and other therapeutic areas, working to rebuild revenue growth and pipeline momentum following the decline of pandemic-related product sales. | A global pharmaceutical company with a significant oncology franchise centered on its immunotherapy portfolio, alongside vaccines and animal health products, focused heavily on research and development of innovative prescription medicines. |
| Investor focus | Post-pandemic revenue recovery progress, oncology pipeline growth following recent acquisitions, and dividend sustainability given the revenue decline from prior pandemic-era products. | Oncology franchise revenue growth and patent life, vaccine portfolio performance, and pipeline progress to diversify beyond its largest current products. |
- Broad pharmaceutical portfolio spanning vaccines, oncology, and other therapeutic areas provides multiple avenues for revenue diversification
- Recent oncology-focused acquisitions have expanded the pipeline and provide potential new sources of long-term growth
- Established global commercial infrastructure supports efficient launch and distribution of new therapies
- Leading oncology immunotherapy franchise generates substantial revenue and cash flow to fund ongoing research and development
- Established vaccine portfolio provides diversification beyond its core oncology business
- Strong research and development capabilities support a robust pipeline of potential future therapies across multiple disease areas
- Revenue has declined significantly from peak pandemic-related product sales, requiring successful pipeline execution to rebuild growth
- Dividend sustainability depends on successfully offsetting lost pandemic-era revenue with new product growth
- Faces ongoing patent expirations across its broader pharmaceutical portfolio that require pipeline replenishment
- Significant revenue concentration in its leading oncology franchise creates exposure to eventual patent expiration
- Pipeline diversification efforts must succeed to offset revenue pressure as key products face future competition
- Pharmaceutical companies face ongoing regulatory and pricing pressure risk across major markets
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