AZN vs MRK vs NUVB Stock Comparison

Astrazeneca, Merck and Nuvation Bio Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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AZN Astrazeneca Plc
$189.15 +20.8% 1M +15.3% 1Y
Market cap
$297.61B
P/E
27.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$59.37B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
7 wins
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$150.37 +7.8% 1M +79.3% 1Y
Market cap
$377.29B
P/E
118.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$66.57B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 wins
NUVB Nuvation Bio Inc.
$4.72 -4.6% 1M -2.3% 1Y
Market cap
$1.61B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$169.90M
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Astrazeneca leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Astrazeneca 7, Merck 3, Nuvation Bio 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAZNMRKNUVBLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $297.61B $377.29B $1.61B MRK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 27.0x 118.9x -10.7x AZN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.9x 60.6x — AZN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +4.6% +1,083.6% NUVB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 18.6% 4.8% -88.2% AZN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 24.1% 3.6% — AZN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 3.6x 4.9x AZN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +15.3% +79.3% -2.3% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.4%/yr +13.0%/yr -12.5%/yr MRK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.5% 29.9% 78.6% AZN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 74/100 61/100 64/100 AZN

Percentile Scorecard

AZNMRKNUVB

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

AxisAZNMRKNUVB
Valuation 85 #95 of 634 80 #130 of 634 61 #249 of 634
Growth 60 #246 of 607 37 #386 of 607 61 #239 of 607
Profitability 94 #37 of 557 91 #53 of 557 66 #188 of 557
Financial Health 66 #222 of 654 21 #520 of 654 67 #220 of 654
Shareholder Returns 67 #131 of 400 79 #83 of 400 65 #142 of 400
Overall 74 61 64
  • AZN ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • MRK ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • NUVB 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

PeriodAZNMRKNUVBSPY
1 month +20.8%+7.8%-4.6% -1.0%
3 months +17.1%+17.2%-25.8% -0.4%
6 months +2.3%+32.4%-6.3% +4.5%
Year to date +2.9%+42.9%-47.3% +12.4%
1 year +15.3%+79.3%-2.3% +13.6%
3 years +47.9%+45.5%+249.6% +76.4%
3 years, per year +13.9%+13.3%+51.8% +20.8%
5 years +49.9%+84.3%-48.7% +63.7%
5 years, per year +8.4%+13.0%-12.5% +10.4%
10 years +241.9%+155.6%— +267.7%
10 years, per year +13.1%+9.8%— +13.9%

Risk

MeasureAZNMRKNUVBSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.5%29.9%78.6% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.2%24.3%76.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.150.131.55 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.542.66-0.03 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-44.7%-90.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.7%-3.9%-50.5% -1.6%
52-week high $209.48$156.45$9.54 $779.14
52-week low $155.60$83.86$4.05 $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.

MultipleAZNMRKNUVB
P/E now vs peer median 26.6xmedian 18.0x 117.1xmedian 18.0x -11.0xmedian 18.0x
P/S now vs peer median 4.9xmedian 9.1x 5.6xmedian 9.1x 9.6xmedian 9.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.9xmedian 16.2x 31.9xmedian 16.2x -7.3xmedian 16.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 27.6xmedian 21.7x 23.1xmedian 21.7x -12.7xmedian 21.7x
P/B now vs peer median 5.7xmedian 2.2x 8.8xmedian 2.2x 6.4xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 1.15median 0.38 73.68median 0.38 8.39median 0.38

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 monthsAZNMRKNUVB
Revenue $59.37B $66.57B $169.90M
Gross profit $51.12B $48.57B –
Operating income $14.78B $6.38B -$137.63M
Net income $11.03B $3.17B -$149.83M
Free cash flow $10.63B $16.06B -$128.93M
R&D $15.30B $30.45B $128.85M
EPS (diluted) $7.06 $1.28 $-0.43
Cash & equivalents $7.94B $6.85B $258.60M
Total debt -$11.96B $53.91B $5.89M
Shares (diluted) 1.56B 2.47B 348.77M
Enterprise value $271.50B $331.67B -$666.86M

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
MetricAZNMRKNUVB
P/E 26.6x 117.1x -11.0x
P/FCF 27.6x 23.1x -12.7x
P/Operating cash flow 22.2x 18.6x -13.6x
P/S 4.9x 5.6x 9.6x
P/B 5.7x 8.8x 6.4x
P/Tangible book 21.5x 21.8x 6.7x
EV/EBITDA 12.9x 31.9x -7.3x
EV/EBIT 18.5x 65.5x -7.1x
EV/Revenue 4.6x 6.3x 5.8x
EV/FCF 25.7x 26.0x -7.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.7x 20.9x -8.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.15 73.68 8.39

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAZNMRKNUVB
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 4.6% 1,084%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.3% 4.5% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) 6.7% -0.3% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.3% 4.5% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 15.4% -66.6% 38.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 22.4% 1.9% -9.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 17.3% -80.7% 26.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 23.2% 0.5% -18.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.5% -80.3% 27.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 23.2% 1.6% -1.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -12.6% 7.7% 28.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 9.8% -14.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -22.8% 9.1% 23.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 14.0% -16.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAZNMRKNUVB
Gross margin 86.1% 73.0% –
EBITDA margin 35.7% 19.7% -79.0%
Operating margin 24.9% 9.6% -81.0%
Pretax margin 22.4% 8.9% -88.2%
Net margin 18.6% 4.8% -88.2%
FCF margin 17.9% 24.1% -75.9%
Operating cash flow margin 22.3% 30.0% -70.9%
Return on equity 21.6% 7.2% -52.3%
Return on assets 9.4% 2.5% -22.1%
Return on invested capital 24.1% 3.6% –
Return on capital employed 9.9% 6.3% -23.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 6.3x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.3% 20.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAZNMRKNUVB
Debt / assets -10.0% 41.5% 0.8%
Debt / equity -0.2x 1.3x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 3.6x 4.9x
Debt / FCF -1.1x 3.4x 0.0x
Liabilities / assets 56.8% 67.7% 65.9%
Equity / assets 43.2% 32.3% 34.1%
Interest coverage 16.1x – -5.2x
Current ratio -1.0x 1.3x 8.4x
Quick ratio -0.8x 0.7x 7.9x
Cash ratio -0.3x 0.3x 7.6x
Altman Z-score 4.28 3.97 0.44

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAZNMRKNUVB
Dividend yield 1.3% 2.3% –
Net buyback yield 0.0% 1.1% -0.7%
Shareholder yield 1.2% 3.3% -0.7%
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.

ConsensusAZNMRKNUVB
Forward P/E 18.9xFY2026 60.6xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $10.00FY2026 $2.48FY2026 $-0.38FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.2%FY2026 -72.4%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +6.1% +257.3% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $59.02BFY2026 $69.45BFY2026 $187.51MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.5%FY2026 +6.8%FY2026 +198.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.0% -3.8% +52.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAZNMRKNUVB
Held by institutions 52.1% 79.9% 66.6%
Institutions holding 1,498 3,803 238
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.8% +2.6% +5.7%
Institutions buying 809 1,844 148
Institutions selling 469 1,468 50
Buyers to sellers 1.72 1.26 2.96

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.

AZNMRKNUVB
AZN 1.00 0.51 0.15
MRK 0.51 1.00 0.19
NUVB 0.15 0.19 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AZN, MRK and NUVB?

Merck (MRK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Astrazeneca (AZN) $297.61B, Merck (MRK) $377.29B, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) $1.61B.

Which stock is cheaper, AZN, MRK and NUVB?

Astrazeneca (AZN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Astrazeneca (AZN) 27.0x, Merck (MRK) 118.9x, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) -10.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, Astrazeneca (AZN) is cheapest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 18.9x, Merck (MRK) 60.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Nuvation Bio (NUVB) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Astrazeneca (AZN) +7.8%, Merck (MRK) +4.6%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) +1,083.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Astrazeneca (AZN) has the highest net margin (Astrazeneca (AZN) 18.6%, Merck (MRK) 4.8%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) -88.2%). On return on invested capital, Astrazeneca (AZN) leads (Astrazeneca (AZN) 24.1%, Merck (MRK) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Astrazeneca (AZN) +15.3%, Merck (MRK) +79.3%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) -2.3%. Over five years, Merck (MRK) compounded fastest (Astrazeneca (AZN) +8.4%/yr, Merck (MRK) +13.0%/yr, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) -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%, Merck (MRK) 0.02%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) 0.00%. Astrazeneca (AZN) and Nuvation Bio (NUVB) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Astrazeneca (AZN) has been the steadiest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 28.5%, Merck (MRK) 29.9%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) 78.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AZN, MRK and NUVB?

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 7. 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.