AZN vs OGN vs MRK Stock Comparison

Astrazeneca, Organon and Merck Prices as of Nov 2, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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AZN Astrazeneca Plc
$186.64 +18.9% 1M +13.3% 1Y
Market cap
$289.29B
P/E
26.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$59.37B
Div. yield
1.28%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
6 wins
OGN Organon & Co.
$13.82 +0.7% 1M +104.7% 1Y
Market cap
$3.63B
P/E
17.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.13B
Div. yield
0.58%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 wins
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$148.49 +2.9% 1M +72.7% 1Y
Market cap
$366.35B
P/E
115.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$66.57B
Div. yield
2.29%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Astrazeneca leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Astrazeneca 6, Merck 3, Organon 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAZNOGNMRKLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $289.29B $3.63B $366.35B MRK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 26.2x 17.4x 115.6x OGN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 18.7x 3.9x 59.9x OGN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% -2.5% +4.6% AZN
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 18.6% 3.4% 4.8% AZN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 24.1% 5.0% 3.6% AZN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 5.0x 3.6x AZN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.28% 0.58% 2.29% MRK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +13.3% +104.7% +72.7% OGN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.9%/yr -17.8%/yr +10.9%/yr MRK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.4% 56.1% 29.6% AZN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 74/100 55/100 62/100 AZN

Percentile Scorecard

AZNOGNMRK

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

AxisAZNOGNMRK
Valuation 85 #96 of 623 99 #9 of 623 79 #130 of 623
Growth 59 #245 of 601 24 #459 of 601 37 #380 of 601
Profitability 94 #36 of 553 88 #68 of 553 91 #53 of 553
Financial Health 66 #226 of 654 16 #549 of 654 21 #519 of 654
Shareholder Returns 68 #119 of 367 50 #184 of 367 80 #73 of 367
Overall 74 55 62
  • AZN ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • OGN 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

PeriodAZNOGNMRKSPY
1 month +18.9%+0.7%+2.9% -2.3%
3 months +18.2%+1.9%+16.2% -0.7%
6 months +1.7%+4.2%+31.3% +4.8%
Year to date +1.5%+92.7%+41.1% +10.3%
1 year +13.3%+104.7%+72.7% +10.3%
3 years +45.9%+3.9%+43.6% +73.0%
3 years, per year +13.4%+1.3%+12.8% +20.1%
5 years +46.2%-62.5%+67.4% +61.9%
5 years, per year +7.9%-17.8%+10.9% +10.1%
10 years +230.8%—+152.4% +258.6%
10 years, per year +12.7%—+9.7% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureAZNOGNMRKSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.4%56.1%29.6% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.2%37.8%24.1% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.130.780.09 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.471.872.46 0.80
Max drawdown, 5Y -27.9%-85.5%-44.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.9%-0.1%-5.1% -3.5%
52-week high $209.48$13.84$156.45 $779.14
52-week low $155.60$5.70$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.

MultipleAZNOGNMRK
P/E now vs peer median 26.2xmedian 17.4x 17.4xmedian 17.4x 115.6xmedian 17.4x
P/S now vs peer median 4.9xmedian 8.9x 0.6xmedian 8.9x 5.5xmedian 8.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 12.7xmedian 17.0x 7.5xmedian 17.0x 31.5xmedian 17.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 27.2xmedian 21.4x 6.4xmedian 21.4x 22.8xmedian 21.4x
P/B now vs peer median 5.6xmedian 2.1x 3.6xmedian 2.1x 8.7xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median 1.13median 0.35 -0.48median 0.35 72.76median 0.35

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 monthsAZNOGNMRK
Revenue $59.37B $6.13B $66.57B
Gross profit $51.12B $3.23B $48.57B
Operating income $14.78B $1.13B $6.38B
Net income $11.03B $209.00M $3.17B
Free cash flow $10.63B $567.00M $16.06B
R&D $15.30B $358.00M $30.45B
EPS (diluted) $7.06 $0.77 $1.28
Cash & equivalents $7.94B $1.13B $6.85B
Total debt -$11.96B $8.55B $53.91B
Shares (diluted) 1.56B 270.45M 2.47B
Enterprise value $263.27B $135.26M $320.78B

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
MetricAZNOGNMRK
P/E 26.2x 17.4x 115.6x
P/FCF 27.2x 6.4x 22.8x
P/Operating cash flow 21.9x 4.9x 18.3x
P/S 4.9x 0.6x 5.5x
P/B 5.6x 3.6x 8.7x
P/Tangible book 21.2x -34.2x 21.5x
EV/EBITDA 12.7x 7.5x 31.5x
EV/EBIT 18.2x 9.8x 64.8x
EV/Revenue 4.5x 1.8x 6.2x
EV/FCF 25.3x 19.5x 25.7x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.4x 15.0x 20.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.13 -0.48 72.76

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAZNOGNMRK
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% -2.5% 4.6%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 10.3% -0.2% 4.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 6.7% -8.7% -0.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.3% -5.3% 4.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 15.4% -9.3% -66.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 22.4% -8.1% 1.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 17.3% -70.1% -80.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 23.2% -34.8% 0.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 17.5% -71.3% -80.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 23.2% -36.0% 1.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -12.6% -10.8% 7.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 0.5% 9.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -22.8% -13.8% 9.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 5.0% 14.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAZNOGNMRK
Gross margin 86.1% 52.7% 73.0%
EBITDA margin 35.7% 24.2% 19.7%
Operating margin 24.9% 18.4% 9.6%
Pretax margin 22.4% 8.0% 8.9%
Net margin 18.6% 3.4% 4.8%
FCF margin 17.9% 9.3% 24.1%
Operating cash flow margin 22.3% 12.0% 30.0%
Return on equity 21.6% 21.9% 7.2%
Return on assets 9.4% 1.6% 2.5%
Return on invested capital 24.1% 5.0% 3.6%
Return on capital employed 9.9% 10.8% 6.3%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 3.5x 6.3x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.2% 1.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAZNOGNMRK
Debt / assets -10.0% 64.9% 41.5%
Debt / equity -0.2x 8.5x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.9x 5.0x 3.6x
Debt / FCF -1.1x 15.1x 3.4x
Liabilities / assets 56.8% 92.4% 67.7%
Equity / assets 43.2% 7.6% 32.3%
Interest coverage 16.1x 2.4x –
Current ratio -1.0x 2.0x 1.3x
Quick ratio -0.8x 1.0x 0.7x
Cash ratio -0.3x 0.4x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 4.24 1.30 3.94

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAZNOGNMRK
Dividend yield 1.3% 0.6% 2.3%
Net buyback yield 0.0% – 1.1%
Shareholder yield 1.3% 0.6% 3.4%
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.

ConsensusAZNOGNMRK
Forward P/E 18.7xFY2026 3.9xFY2026 59.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.00FY2026 $3.56FY2026 $2.48FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +9.2%FY2026 -2.7%FY2026 -72.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +6.1% 0.0% +257.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $59.02BFY2026 $5.89BFY2026 $69.45BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.5%FY2026 -5.3%FY2026 +6.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.0% +3.0% -3.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAZNOGNMRK
Held by institutions 52.1% 84.3% 79.9%
Institutions holding 1,498 633 3,799
Change in shares held, QoQ +7.8% +10.8% +2.6%
Institutions buying 809 245 1,843
Institutions selling 469 187 1,466
Buyers to sellers 1.72 1.31 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.

AZNOGNMRK
AZN 1.00 0.05 0.50
OGN 0.05 1.00 0.02
MRK 0.50 0.02 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AZN, OGN and MRK?

Merck (MRK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Astrazeneca (AZN) $289.29B, Organon (OGN) $3.63B, Merck (MRK) $366.35B.

Which stock is cheaper, AZN, OGN and MRK?

Organon (OGN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Astrazeneca (AZN) 26.2x, Organon (OGN) 17.4x, Merck (MRK) 115.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Organon (OGN) is cheapest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 18.7x, Organon (OGN) 3.9x, Merck (MRK) 59.9x). 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) +7.8%, Organon (OGN) -2.5%, Merck (MRK) +4.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

Astrazeneca (AZN) has the highest net margin (Astrazeneca (AZN) 18.6%, Organon (OGN) 3.4%, Merck (MRK) 4.8%). On return on invested capital, Astrazeneca (AZN) leads (Astrazeneca (AZN) 24.1%, Organon (OGN) 5.0%, Merck (MRK) 3.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Organon (OGN) returned the most: Astrazeneca (AZN) +13.3%, Organon (OGN) +104.7%, Merck (MRK) +72.7%. Over five years, Merck (MRK) compounded fastest (Astrazeneca (AZN) +7.9%/yr, Organon (OGN) -17.8%/yr, Merck (MRK) +10.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Merck (MRK) has the highest dividend yield: Astrazeneca (AZN) 1.28%, Organon (OGN) 0.58%, Merck (MRK) 2.29%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Astrazeneca (AZN) has been the steadiest (Astrazeneca (AZN) 28.4%, Organon (OGN) 56.1%, Merck (MRK) 29.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AZN, OGN 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 6. 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.