JNJ vs MRK vs TMO Stock Comparison

Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Thermo Fisher Scientific Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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JNJ Johnson & Johnson
$276.33 +9.3% 1M +47.9% 1Y
Market cap
$665.21B
P/E
41.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$99.34B
Div. yield
1.91%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
7 wins
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$150.37 +7.8% 1M +79.3% 1Y
Market cap
$370.99B
P/E
117.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$66.57B
Div. yield
2.26%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Johnson & Johnson leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Johnson & Johnson 7, Merck 3, Thermo Fisher Scientific 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionJNJMRKTMOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $665.21B $370.99B $261.60B JNJ
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 41.4x 117.1x 37.0x TMO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 25.8x 60.6x 27.2x JNJ
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +4.6% +8.3% TMO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 16.2% 4.8% 14.9% JNJ
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 17.6% 3.6% 8.0% JNJ
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 3.6x 3.1x JNJ
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.91% 2.26% 0.26% MRK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +47.9% +79.3% +24.9% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +11.1%/yr +13.0%/yr +2.7%/yr MRK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.2% 29.9% 30.0% JNJ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 67/100 61/100 59/100 JNJ

Percentile Scorecard

JNJMRKTMO

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

AxisJNJMRKTMO
Valuation 86 #91 of 634 80 #130 of 634 61 #90 of 229
Growth 41 #357 of 607 37 #386 of 607 39 #136 of 221
Profitability 94 #35 of 557 91 #53 of 557 81 #40 of 209
Financial Health 41 #386 of 654 21 #520 of 654 31 #166 of 240
Shareholder Returns 75 #99 of 400 79 #83 of 400 82 #27 of 146
Overall 67 61 59
  • JNJ ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • MRK ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • TMO ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodJNJMRKTMOSPY
1 month +9.3%+7.8%+4.4% -1.0%
3 months +7.3%+17.2%+22.3% -0.4%
6 months +23.0%+32.4%+49.3% +4.5%
Year to date +33.5%+42.9%+21.8% +12.4%
1 year +47.9%+79.3%+24.9% +13.6%
3 years +82.6%+45.5%+55.3% +76.4%
3 years, per year +22.2%+13.3%+15.8% +20.8%
5 years +69.1%+84.3%+14.5% +63.7%
5 years, per year +11.1%+13.0%+2.7% +10.4%
10 years +140.1%+155.6%+381.7% +267.7%
10 years, per year +9.2%+9.8%+17.0% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureJNJMRKTMOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.2%29.9%30.0% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.1%24.3%28.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.160.130.64 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.262.660.83 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -23.6%-44.7%-41.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -0.8%-3.9%-0.5% -1.6%
52-week high $278.47$156.45$709.29 $779.14
52-week low $186.00$83.86$438.34 $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.

MultipleJNJMRKTMO
P/E now vs peer median 41.4xmedian 18.0x 117.1xmedian 18.0x 37.0xmedian 28.5x
P/S now vs peer median 6.7xmedian 9.1x 5.6xmedian 9.1x 5.5xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.8xmedian 16.2x 31.9xmedian 16.2x 25.7xmedian 18.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 32.3xmedian 21.7x 23.1xmedian 21.7x 34.4xmedian 26.7x
P/B now vs peer median 8.2xmedian 2.2x 8.8xmedian 2.2x 4.8xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -1.93median 0.38 73.68median 0.38 4.89median 0.93

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 monthsJNJMRKTMO
Revenue $99.34B $66.57B $47.35B
Gross profit $67.11B $48.57B $19.45B
Operating income $25.19B $6.38B $8.47B
Net income $16.10B $3.17B $7.09B
Free cash flow $20.59B $16.06B $7.60B
R&D $16.08B $30.45B $1.40B
EPS (diluted) $6.57 $1.28 $19.06
Cash & equivalents $16.91B $6.85B $5.46B
Total debt $44.65B $53.91B $41.37B
Shares (diluted) 2.45B 2.47B 371.00M
Enterprise value $585.07B $325.42B $238.24B

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
MetricJNJMRKTMO
P/E 41.4x 117.1x 37.0x
P/FCF 32.3x 23.1x 34.4x
P/Operating cash flow 25.4x 18.6x 28.1x
P/S 6.7x 5.6x 5.5x
P/B 8.2x 8.8x 4.8x
P/Tangible book 19.1x 21.8x 7.1x
EV/EBITDA 20.8x 31.9x 25.7x
EV/EBIT 27.5x 65.5x 35.1x
EV/Revenue 7.0x 6.3x 6.3x
EV/FCF 33.6x 26.0x 39.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.5x 20.9x 31.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -1.93 73.68 4.89

Growth

14 metrics
MetricJNJMRKTMO
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 4.6% 8.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.9% 4.5% 2.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.0% -0.3% 7.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 4.5% 4.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 7.4% -66.6% 12.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 1.4% 1.9% 7.2%
Net income growth (1Y) -35.9% -80.7% 7.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -22.5% 0.5% 6.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -36.4% -80.3% 9.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -21.5% 1.6% 7.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 8.1% 7.7% 21.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.4% 9.8% 4.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 5.1% 9.1% 24.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 14.0% 5.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricJNJMRKTMO
Gross margin 67.6% 73.0% 41.1%
EBITDA margin 33.5% 19.7% 24.4%
Operating margin 25.4% 9.6% 17.9%
Pretax margin 17.9% 8.9% 16.7%
Net margin 16.2% 4.8% 14.9%
FCF margin 20.7% 24.1% 16.0%
Operating cash flow margin 26.3% 30.0% 19.7%
Return on equity 19.3% 7.2% 13.2%
Return on assets 8.1% 2.5% 6.2%
Return on invested capital 17.6% 3.6% 8.0%
Return on capital employed 17.5% 6.3% 8.5%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.6x 6.3x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 1.4% 1.3% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricJNJMRKTMO
Debt / assets 22.6% 41.5% 36.2%
Debt / equity 0.5x 1.3x 0.8x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x 3.6x 3.1x
Debt / FCF 2.2x 3.4x 5.4x
Liabilities / assets 58.7% 67.7% 52.1%
Equity / assets 41.3% 32.3% 47.9%
Interest coverage 25.6x – 5.5x
Current ratio 1.0x 1.3x 1.8x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.7x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.3x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 5.57 3.97 4.20

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricJNJMRKTMO
Dividend yield 1.9% 2.3% 0.3%
Net buyback yield 0.6% 1.1% 1.5%
Shareholder yield 2.5% 3.3% 1.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 79.0% 261.8% 9.5%
Payout ratio (FCF) 61.8% 51.7% 8.9%
Dividend growth (1Y) 3.9% 3.3% 8.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 1.0% 4.7% 10.1%

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.

ConsensusJNJMRKTMO
Forward P/E 25.8xFY2026 60.6xFY2026 27.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.72FY2026 $2.48FY2026 $25.91FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -0.6%FY2026 -72.4%FY2026 +13.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.9% +257.3% +2.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $106.54BFY2026 $69.45BFY2026 $50.12BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.1%FY2026 +6.8%FY2026 +12.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.0% -3.8% -2.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersJNJMRKTMO
Held by institutions 74.7% 79.9% 90.2%
Institutions holding 4,697 3,803 2,627
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.8% +2.6% +0.8%
Institutions buying 2,296 1,844 1,145
Institutions selling 1,899 1,468 1,145
Buyers to sellers 1.21 1.26 1.00

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.

JNJMRKTMO
JNJ 1.00 0.49 0.08
MRK 0.49 1.00 0.17
TMO 0.08 0.17 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, JNJ, MRK and TMO?

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is the largest by market capitalisation: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $665.21B, Merck (MRK) $370.99B, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) $261.60B.

Which stock is cheaper, JNJ, MRK and TMO?

Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 41.4x, Merck (MRK) 117.1x, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 37.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is cheapest (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 25.8x, Merck (MRK) 60.6x, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 27.2x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +7.8%, Merck (MRK) +4.6%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) +8.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has the highest net margin (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 16.2%, Merck (MRK) 4.8%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 14.9%). On return on invested capital, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) leads (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 17.6%, Merck (MRK) 3.6%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 8.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +47.9%, Merck (MRK) +79.3%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) +24.9%. Over five years, Merck (MRK) compounded fastest (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) +11.1%/yr, Merck (MRK) +13.0%/yr, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) +2.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Merck (MRK) has the highest dividend yield: Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 1.91%, Merck (MRK) 2.26%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 0.26%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) has been the steadiest (Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 21.2%, Merck (MRK) 29.9%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 30.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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 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.