AUPH vs JNJ vs MRK Stock Comparison

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson and Merck Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
JNJ Johnson & Johnson
$271.21 -0.3% 1M +45.1% 1Y
Market cap
$664.23B
P/E
41.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$99.34B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
5 wins
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$141.04 -5.2% 1M +62.1% 1Y
Market cap
$362.25B
P/E
114.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$66.57B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Johnson & Johnson leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Johnson & Johnson 5, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals 5, Merck 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAUPHJNJMRKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $2.24B $664.23B $362.25B JNJ
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 7.1x 41.3x 114.2x AUPH
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.1x 25.3x 56.9x AUPH
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +19.8% +7.8% +4.6% AUPH
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 100.8% 16.2% 4.8% AUPH
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 17.6% 3.6% JNJ
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 0.8x 3.6x JNJ
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.02% MRK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +37.5% +45.1% +62.1% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -12.1%/yr +10.7%/yr +9.9%/yr JNJ
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.2% 20.8% 29.6% JNJ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 90/100 68/100 62/100 AUPH

Percentile Scorecard

AUPHJNJMRK

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAUPHJNJMRK
Valuation 93 #45 of 625 87 #82 of 625 81 #120 of 625
Growth 96 #26 of 602 42 #351 of 602 36 #383 of 602
Profitability 97 #17 of 549 93 #38 of 549 91 #53 of 549
Financial Health 74 #172 of 654 42 #379 of 654 20 #523 of 654
Shareholder Returns 92 #31 of 367 75 #92 of 367 81 #69 of 367
Overall 90 68 62
  • AUPH ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • JNJ ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • MRK ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAUPHJNJMRKSPY
1 month +5.1%-0.3%-5.2% +0.9%
3 months +14.4%+2.1%+8.2% +5.9%
6 months +13.6%+19.3%+27.1% +8.5%
Year to date +8.8%+31.1%+34.0% +13.3%
1 year +37.5%+45.1%+62.1% +12.4%
3 years +141.4%+86.3%+37.2% +88.1%
3 years, per year +34.2%+23.1%+11.1% +23.5%
5 years -47.5%+66.5%+60.2% +68.2%
5 years, per year -12.1%+10.7%+9.9% +11.0%
10 years +437.5%+135.2%+139.7% +263.4%
10 years, per year +18.3%+8.9%+9.1% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureAUPHJNJMRKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.2%20.8%29.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.0%20.0%24.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.54-0.220.12 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.012.172.10 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -87.6%-23.6%-44.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.8%-2.6%-9.8% -0.9%
52-week high $18.62$278.47$156.45 $779.14
52-week low $12.12$186.00$82.49 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAUPHJNJMRK
P/E now vs peer median 7.2xmedian 17.4x 40.6xmedian 17.4x 109.8xmedian 17.4x
P/S now vs peer median 7.4xmedian 9.1x 6.6xmedian 9.1x 5.2xmedian 9.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 11.0xmedian 17.1x 20.4xmedian 17.1x 30.1xmedian 17.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 13.2xmedian 19.0x 31.7xmedian 19.0x 21.7xmedian 19.0x
P/B now vs peer median 3.8xmedian 2.2x 8.0xmedian 2.2x 8.3xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.08median 0.34 -1.89median 0.34 69.11median 0.34

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAUPHJNJMRK
Revenue $311.51M $99.34B $66.57B
Gross profit $281.47M $67.11B $48.57B
Operating income $150.75M $25.19B $6.38B
Net income $314.11M $16.10B $3.17B
Free cash flow $175.07M $20.59B $16.06B
R&D $39.85M $16.08B $30.45B
EPS (diluted) $2.35 $6.57 $1.28
Cash & equivalents $179.83M $16.91B $6.85B
Total debt – $44.65B $53.91B
Shares (diluted) 133.53M 2.45B 2.47B
Enterprise value $665.68M $584.09B $316.63B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAUPHJNJMRK
P/E 7.2x 40.6x 109.8x
P/FCF 13.2x 31.7x 21.7x
P/Operating cash flow 13.2x 25.0x 17.4x
P/S 7.4x 6.6x 5.2x
P/B 3.8x 8.0x 8.3x
P/Tangible book 3.8x 18.7x 20.5x
EV/EBITDA 11.0x 20.4x 30.1x
EV/EBIT 12.4x 27.0x 61.9x
EV/Revenue 6.0x 6.8x 5.9x
EV/FCF 10.6x 33.0x 24.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 10.6x 26.0x 19.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.08 -1.89 69.11

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAUPHJNJMRK
Revenue growth (1Y) 19.8% 7.8% 4.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 24.8% 5.9% 4.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 20.9% 7.0% -0.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 22.2% 5.1% 4.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 189.8% 7.4% -66.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 56.2% 1.4% 1.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 418.0% -35.9% -80.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 84.9% -22.5% 0.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 433.5% -36.4% -80.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 87.7% -21.5% 1.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 89.1% 8.1% 7.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 86.1% 12.4% 9.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 89.4% 5.1% 9.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 85.3% 14.5% 14.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAUPHJNJMRK
Gross margin 90.4% 67.6% 73.0%
EBITDA margin 54.6% 33.5% 19.7%
Operating margin 48.4% 25.4% 9.6%
Pretax margin 51.5% 17.9% 8.9%
Net margin 100.8% 16.2% 4.8%
FCF margin 56.2% 20.7% 24.1%
Operating cash flow margin 56.3% 26.3% 30.0%
Return on equity 53.1% 19.3% 7.2%
Return on assets 41.4% 8.1% 2.5%
Return on invested capital – 17.6% 3.6%
Return on capital employed 22.9% 17.5% 6.3%
Asset turnover 0.4x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.6x 1.6x 6.3x
Stock comp / revenue 4.7% 1.4% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAUPHJNJMRK
Debt / assets – 22.6% 41.5%
Debt / equity – 0.5x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA – 0.8x 3.6x
Debt / FCF – 2.2x 3.4x
Liabilities / assets 22.4% 58.7% 67.7%
Equity / assets 77.6% 41.3% 32.3%
Interest coverage 36.7x 25.6x –
Current ratio 5.4x 1.0x 1.3x
Quick ratio 4.8x 0.7x 0.7x
Cash ratio 4.4x 0.3x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 8.47 5.50 3.82

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAUPHJNJMRK
Dividend yield – 1.9% 2.4%
Net buyback yield 0.9% 0.6% 1.1%
Shareholder yield 0.9% 2.6% 3.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 79.0% 261.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 61.8% 51.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.9% 3.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 1.0% 4.7%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAUPHJNJMRK
Forward P/E 18.1xFY2026 25.3xFY2026 56.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.96FY2026 $10.72FY2026 $2.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -53.6%FY2026 -0.6%FY2026 -72.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +14.6% +5.9% +257.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $348.13MFY2026 $106.54BFY2026 $69.45BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +23.0%FY2026 +13.1%FY2026 +6.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.9% +7.0% -3.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAUPHJNJMRK
Held by institutions 58.7% 74.7% 79.9%
Institutions holding 280 4,691 3,797
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.4% +1.8% +2.6%
Institutions buying 156 2,294 1,843
Institutions selling 78 1,895 1,464
Buyers to sellers 2.00 1.21 1.26

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AUPHJNJMRK
AUPH 1.00 0.12 0.20
JNJ 0.12 1.00 0.48
MRK 0.20 0.48 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AUPH, JNJ and MRK?

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is the largest by market capitalisation: Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) $2.24B, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $664.23B, Merck (MRK) $362.25B.

Which stock is cheaper, AUPH, JNJ and MRK?

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) 7.1x, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 41.3x, Merck (MRK) 114.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) is cheapest (Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) 18.1x, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 25.3x, Merck (MRK) 56.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) +19.8%, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +7.8%, Merck (MRK) +4.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) has the highest net margin (Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) 100.8%, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 16.2%, Merck (MRK) 4.8%). On return on invested capital, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) leads (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 17.6%, Merck (MRK) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) +37.5%, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +45.1%, Merck (MRK) +62.1%. Over five years, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) compounded fastest (Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) -12.1%/yr, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +10.7%/yr, Merck (MRK) +9.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Merck (MRK) has the highest dividend yield: Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) 0.00%, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 0.02%, Merck (MRK) 0.02%. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has been the steadiest (Aurinia Pharmaceuticals (AUPH) 37.2%, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 20.8%, Merck (MRK) 29.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AUPH, JNJ and MRK?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.