AZN vs BMY vs MRK Stock Comparison

Astrazeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AZN Astrazeneca Plc
$169.54 +1.9% 1M +2.6% 1Y
Market cap
$270.37B
P/E
25.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$58.67B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
5 wins
BMY Bristol Myers Squibb Co
$60.61 -5.1% 1M +41.5% 1Y
Market cap
$124.80B
P/E
13.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$49.19B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 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
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Astrazeneca leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Astrazeneca 5, Merck 3, Bristol Myers Squibb 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAZNBMYMRKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $270.37B $124.80B $362.25B MRK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.9x 13.4x 114.2x BMY
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 17.0x 9.1x 56.9x BMY
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.4% +3.1% +4.6% AZN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 17.8% 18.9% 4.8% BMY
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 23.3% -3.3% 3.6% AZN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.4x 78.9x 3.6x AZN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +2.6% +41.5% +62.1% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +6.3%/yr +0.7%/yr +9.9%/yr MRK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.3% 28.4% 29.6% AZN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 71/100 66/100 62/100 AZN

Percentile Scorecard

AZNBMYMRK

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

AxisAZNBMYMRK
Valuation 85 #92 of 625 86 #88 of 625 81 #120 of 625
Growth 70 #183 of 602 53 #286 of 602 36 #383 of 602
Profitability 94 #34 of 549 87 #71 of 549 91 #53 of 549
Financial Health 36 #418 of 654 16 #552 of 654 20 #523 of 654
Shareholder Returns 70 #112 of 367 88 #44 of 367 81 #69 of 367
Overall 71 66 62
  • AZN ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • BMY 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

PeriodAZNBMYMRKSPY
1 month +1.9%-5.1%-5.2% +0.9%
3 months -2.2%-4.0%+8.2% +5.9%
6 months -8.5%+5.2%+27.1% +8.5%
Year to date -7.8%+12.4%+34.0% +13.3%
1 year +2.6%+41.5%+62.1% +12.4%
3 years +37.0%+18.8%+37.2% +88.1%
3 years, per year +11.1%+5.9%+11.1% +23.5%
5 years +35.9%+3.8%+60.2% +68.2%
5 years, per year +6.3%+0.7%+9.9% +11.0%
10 years +196.4%+18.8%+139.7% +263.4%
10 years, per year +11.5%+1.7%+9.1% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureAZNBMYMRKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.3%28.4%29.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.1%25.5%24.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.210.200.12 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.101.462.10 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-51.1%-44.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -19.1%-11.0%-9.8% -0.9%
52-week high $209.48$68.09$156.45 $779.14
52-week low $155.60$42.60$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.

MultipleAZNBMYMRK
P/E now vs peer median 25.2xmedian 17.4x 13.3xmedian 17.4x 109.8xmedian 17.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.5xmedian 9.1x 2.5xmedian 9.1x 5.2xmedian 9.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.3xmedian 17.1x 383.9xmedian 17.1x 30.1xmedian 17.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 24.6xmedian 19.0x 10.8xmedian 19.0x 21.7xmedian 19.0x
P/B now vs peer median 5.2xmedian 2.2x 5.5xmedian 2.2x 8.3xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.31median 0.34 2.17median 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 monthsAZNBMYMRK
Revenue $58.67B $49.19B $66.57B
Gross profit $50.25B $34.51B $48.57B
Operating income $13.97B -$2.77B $6.38B
Net income $10.45B $9.28B $3.17B
Free cash flow $10.67B $11.44B $16.06B
R&D $15.07B $10.72B $30.45B
EPS (diluted) $6.69 $4.53 $1.28
Cash & equivalents $4.90B $8.72B $6.85B
Total debt $32.35B $43.12B $53.91B
Shares (diluted) 1.56B 2.05B 2.47B
Enterprise value $244.05B $76.07B $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
MetricAZNBMYMRK
P/E 25.2x 13.3x 109.8x
P/FCF 24.6x 10.8x 21.7x
P/Operating cash flow 19.2x 9.7x 17.4x
P/S 4.5x 2.5x 5.2x
P/B 5.2x 5.5x 8.3x
P/Tangible book 20.8x 25.1x 20.5x
EV/EBITDA 14.3x 383.9x 30.1x
EV/EBIT 20.8x -56.3x 61.9x
EV/Revenue 4.9x 3.2x 5.9x
EV/FCF 27.2x 13.6x 24.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.2x 12.2x 19.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.31 2.17 69.11

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAZNBMYMRK
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.4% 3.1% 4.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.6% 2.9% 4.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.3% 2.9% -0.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 13.1% -0.3% 4.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.4% 63.5% -66.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 23.9% -17.9% 1.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 25.9% 83.3% -80.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 19.2% 5.2% 0.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 26.0% 82.9% -80.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 19.2% 6.2% 1.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 2.3% -19.6% 7.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 13.7% 2.6% 9.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -4.5% -21.5% 9.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.5% 2.2% 14.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAZNBMYMRK
Gross margin 85.6% 70.2% 73.0%
EBITDA margin 34.6% 0.8% 19.7%
Operating margin 23.8% -5.6% 9.6%
Pretax margin 21.5% 24.2% 8.9%
Net margin 17.8% 18.9% 4.8%
FCF margin 18.2% 23.3% 24.1%
Operating cash flow margin 23.3% 26.0% 30.0%
Return on equity 21.4% 43.7% 7.2%
Return on assets 9.1% 10.7% 2.5%
Return on invested capital 23.3% -3.3% 3.6%
Return on capital employed 16.8% -4.0% 6.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.6x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x 1.4x 6.3x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.1% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAZNBMYMRK
Debt / assets 27.9% 49.2% 41.5%
Debt / equity 0.6x 1.9x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.4x 78.9x 3.6x
Debt / FCF 3.0x 3.8x 3.4x
Liabilities / assets 56.5% 74.5% 67.7%
Equity / assets 43.5% 25.5% 32.3%
Interest coverage 15.9x – –
Current ratio 0.9x 1.5x 1.3x
Quick ratio 0.7x 1.2x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.6x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 3.43 2.05 3.82

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAZNBMYMRK
Dividend yield 1.4% 4.2% 2.4%
Net buyback yield 0.0% – 1.1%
Shareholder yield 1.4% 4.2% 3.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 261.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 51.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 3.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 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.

ConsensusAZNBMYMRK
Forward P/E 17.0xFY2026 9.1xFY2026 56.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.00FY2026 $6.63FY2026 $2.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.2%FY2026 +7.8%FY2026 -72.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.1% -3.9% +257.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $59.02BFY2026 $52.09BFY2026 $69.45BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.5%FY2026 +8.1%FY2026 +6.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.0% -9.3% -3.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAZNBMYMRK
Held by institutions 52.1% 81.8% 79.9%
Institutions holding 1,496 2,520 3,797
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.8% +3.8% +2.6%
Institutions buying 808 1,186 1,843
Institutions selling 468 986 1,464
Buyers to sellers 1.73 1.20 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.

AZNBMYMRK
AZN 1.00 0.46 0.49
BMY 0.46 1.00 0.46
MRK 0.49 0.46 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AZN, BMY and MRK?

Merck (MRK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Astrazeneca (AZN) $270.37B, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) $124.80B, Merck (MRK) $362.25B.

Which stock is cheaper, AZN, BMY and MRK?

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Astrazeneca (AZN) 25.9x, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 13.4x, Merck (MRK) 114.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) is cheapest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 17.0x, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 9.1x, 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?

Astrazeneca (AZN) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Astrazeneca (AZN) +9.4%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) +3.1%, Merck (MRK) +4.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) has the highest net margin (Astrazeneca (AZN) 17.8%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 18.9%, Merck (MRK) 4.8%). On return on invested capital, Astrazeneca (AZN) leads (Astrazeneca (AZN) 23.3%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) -3.3%, Merck (MRK) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Astrazeneca (AZN) +2.6%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) +41.5%, Merck (MRK) +62.1%. Over five years, Merck (MRK) compounded fastest (Astrazeneca (AZN) +6.3%/yr, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) +0.7%/yr, Merck (MRK) +9.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Astrazeneca (AZN) 0.00%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 0.00%, Merck (MRK) 0.02%. Astrazeneca (AZN) and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Astrazeneca (AZN) has been the steadiest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 27.3%, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 28.4%, Merck (MRK) 29.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AZN, BMY 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, Astrazeneca (AZN) 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.