AZN vs IDXX vs MRK Stock Comparison

Astrazeneca, Idexx Laboratories and Merck Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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AZN Astrazeneca Plc
$186.82 +17.8% 1M +15.1% 1Y
Market cap
$289.26B
P/E
26.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$59.37B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
4 wins
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$146.90 +3.5% 1M +74.1% 1Y
Market cap
$362.64B
P/E
147.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$67.38B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Astrazeneca leads on 4 of the 12 questions below (Astrazeneca 4, Idexx Laboratories 4, Merck 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAZNIDXXMRKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $289.26B $53.33B $362.64B MRK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.2x 45.1x 147.8x AZN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.7x 42.6x 56.5x AZN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +11.9% +4.9% IDXX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 18.6% 25.4% 3.6% IDXX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 24.1% 45.4% 2.9% IDXX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 0.4x 3.4x AZN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.02% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +15.1% -6.9% +74.1% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.2%/yr +1.0%/yr +12.5%/yr MRK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.5% 35.9% 30.0% AZN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 74/100 76/100 61/100 IDXX

Percentile Scorecard

AZNIDXXMRK

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

AxisAZNIDXXMRK
Valuation 85 #94 of 634 74 #164 of 634 86 #90 of 634
Growth 59 #249 of 608 70 #182 of 608 29 #431 of 608
Profitability 94 #37 of 557 97 #16 of 557 90 #59 of 557
Financial Health 65 #227 of 654 47 #349 of 654 21 #519 of 654
Shareholder Returns 65 #141 of 403 92 #32 of 403 79 #87 of 403
Overall 74 76 61
  • AZN ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • IDXX ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • MRK ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodAZNIDXXMRKSPY
1 month +17.8%+30.1%+3.5% -5.9%
3 months +16.0%+13.7%+14.5% -4.6%
6 months +2.4%+17.2%+30.8% +0.2%
Year to date +1.6%-0.9%+39.6% +7.5%
1 year +15.1%-6.9%+74.1% +8.2%
3 years +45.8%+58.6%+40.8% +68.3%
3 years, per year +13.4%+16.6%+12.1% +19.0%
5 years +48.1%+5.2%+80.0% +56.5%
5 years, per year +8.2%+1.0%+12.5% +9.4%
10 years +237.7%+531.5%+149.7% +251.5%
10 years, per year +12.9%+20.2%+9.6% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureAZNIDXXMRKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.5%35.9%30.0% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.2%32.5%24.4% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.170.800.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.53-0.192.47 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-50.9%-44.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.8%-12.5%-6.1% -5.9%
52-week high $209.48$766.68$156.45 $779.14
52-week low $155.60$504.70$84.39 $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.

MultipleAZNIDXXMRK
P/E now vs peer median 26.3xmedian 17.8x 44.7xmedian 17.8x 147.8xmedian 17.8x
P/S now vs peer median 4.9xmedian 8.1x 11.3xmedian 8.1x 5.4xmedian 8.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.7xmedian 15.7x 32.1xmedian 15.7x 31.7xmedian 15.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 27.2xmedian 21.0x 40.5xmedian 21.0x 24.6xmedian 21.0x
P/B now vs peer median 5.6xmedian 2.0x 28.3xmedian 2.0x 8.1xmedian 2.0x
PEG now vs peer median 1.13median 0.36 2.95median 0.36 -8.11median 0.36

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 monthsAZNIDXXMRK
Revenue $59.37B $4.66B $67.38B
Gross profit $51.12B $2.92B $48.35B
Operating income $14.78B $1.51B $5.46B
Net income $11.03B $1.18B $2.45B
Free cash flow $10.63B $1.30B $14.75B
R&D $15.30B $266.87M $30.76B
EPS (diluted) $7.06 $14.96 $0.99
Cash & equivalents $7.94B $197.54M $9.55B
Total debt -$11.96B $848.88M $53.78B
Shares (diluted) 1.56B 79.05M 2.48B
Enterprise value $263.15B $52.56B $325.58B

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
MetricAZNIDXXMRK
P/E 26.3x 44.7x 147.8x
P/FCF 27.2x 40.5x 24.6x
P/Operating cash flow 21.9x 37.2x 19.4x
P/S 4.9x 11.3x 5.4x
P/B 5.6x 28.3x 8.1x
P/Tangible book 21.2x 30.2x 17.7x
EV/EBITDA 12.7x 32.1x 31.7x
EV/EBIT 18.3x 35.5x 74.4x
EV/Revenue 4.5x 11.5x 6.0x
EV/FCF 25.4x 41.0x 27.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.4x 37.7x 21.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.13 2.95 -8.11

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAZNIDXXMRK
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 11.9% 4.9%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.3% 9.1% 4.3%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 6.7% 13.7% -2.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.3% 10.8% 3.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 15.4% 15.3% -74.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 22.4% 11.8% -11.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 17.3% 15.1% -87.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 23.2% 12.8% -19.1%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.5% 17.4% -87.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 23.2% 15.1% -18.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -12.6% 30.4% 9.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 19.6% 2.9%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -22.8% 35.3% 13.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 24.2% 3.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAZNIDXXMRK
Gross margin 86.1% 62.7% 71.8%
EBITDA margin 35.7% 35.7% 19.0%
Operating margin 24.9% 32.3% 8.1%
Pretax margin 22.4% 31.7% 7.1%
Net margin 18.6% 25.4% 3.6%
FCF margin 17.9% 28.0% 21.9%
Operating cash flow margin 22.3% 30.4% 27.8%
Return on equity 21.6% 67.9% 5.6%
Return on assets 9.4% 33.1% 1.9%
Return on invested capital 24.1% 45.4% 2.9%
Return on capital employed 9.9% 65.2% 5.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 1.3x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.2x 7.6x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.4% 1.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAZNIDXXMRK
Debt / assets -10.0% 22.9% 40.5%
Debt / equity -0.2x 0.5x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 0.4x 3.4x
Debt / FCF -1.1x 0.7x 3.6x
Liabilities / assets 56.8% 49.6% 66.1%
Equity / assets 43.2% 50.4% 33.9%
Interest coverage 16.1x 43.5x –
Current ratio -1.0x 1.2x 1.4x
Quick ratio -0.8x 0.7x 0.8x
Cash ratio -0.3x 0.2x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.24 22.69 3.91

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAZNIDXXMRK
Dividend yield 1.3% – 2.3%
Net buyback yield 0.0% 1.8% 0.8%
Shareholder yield 1.3% 1.8% 3.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 341.6%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 56.7%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 3.2%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 4.4%

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.

ConsensusAZNIDXXMRK
Forward P/E 18.7xFY2026 42.6xFY2026 56.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.01FY2026 $15.74FY2026 $2.60FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.3%FY2026 +20.3%FY2026 -71.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.6% +12.5% +231.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $58.93BFY2026 $5.02BFY2026 $69.61BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.3%FY2026 +16.8%FY2026 +7.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.8% +0.6% -4.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAZNIDXXMRK
Held by institutions 52.1% 93.6% 79.9%
Institutions holding 1,498 1,291 3,803
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.8% +4.1% +2.6%
Institutions buying 809 589 1,843
Institutions selling 469 496 1,469
Buyers to sellers 1.72 1.19 1.25

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.

AZNIDXXMRK
AZN 1.00 0.17 0.51
IDXX 0.17 1.00 0.14
MRK 0.51 0.14 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AZN, IDXX and MRK?

Merck (MRK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Astrazeneca (AZN) $289.26B, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) $53.33B, Merck (MRK) $362.64B.

Which stock is cheaper, AZN, IDXX and MRK?

Astrazeneca (AZN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Astrazeneca (AZN) 26.2x, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 45.1x, Merck (MRK) 147.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Astrazeneca (AZN) is cheapest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 18.7x, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 42.6x, Merck (MRK) 56.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Astrazeneca (AZN) +7.8%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +11.9%, Merck (MRK) +4.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) has the highest net margin (Astrazeneca (AZN) 18.6%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 25.4%, Merck (MRK) 3.6%). On return on invested capital, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) leads (Astrazeneca (AZN) 24.1%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 45.4%, Merck (MRK) 2.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Astrazeneca (AZN) +15.1%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -6.9%, Merck (MRK) +74.1%. Over five years, Merck (MRK) compounded fastest (Astrazeneca (AZN) +8.2%/yr, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +1.0%/yr, Merck (MRK) +12.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Astrazeneca (AZN) 0.00%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 0.00%, Merck (MRK) 0.02%. Astrazeneca (AZN) and Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Astrazeneca (AZN) has been the steadiest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 28.5%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 35.9%, Merck (MRK) 30.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AZN, IDXX 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 4. 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.