MRK vs IDXX vs NVS Stock Comparison

Merck, Idexx Laboratories and Novartis Ag Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$144.68 +0.3% 1M +75.4% 1Y
Market cap
$370.06B
P/E
116.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$66.57B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
2 wins
NVS Novartis Ag
$159.27 +12.9% 1M +28.6% 1Y
Market cap
$319.62B
P/E
17.9x
Revenue (TTM)
—
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Idexx Laboratories leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Idexx Laboratories 5, Novartis Ag 4, Merck 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMRKIDXXNVSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $370.06B $55.06B $319.62B MRK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 116.6x 46.6x 17.9x NVS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 58.3x 43.0x 17.2x NVS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.6% +11.9% — IDXX
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.8% 25.4% — IDXX
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% 45.4% — IDXX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.6x 0.4x — IDXX
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +75.4% -7.0% +28.6% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +9.8%/yr +1.0%/yr +13.7%/yr NVS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.7% 35.4% 27.6% NVS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 61/100 77/100 — IDXX

Percentile Scorecard

MRKIDXXNVS

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

AxisMRKIDXXNVS
Valuation 80 #131 of 634 75 #157 of 634 97 #20 of 634
Growth 37 #386 of 607 72 #169 of 607 –
Profitability 91 #53 of 557 97 #17 of 557 –
Financial Health 20 #521 of 654 48 #342 of 654 –
Shareholder Returns 80 #83 of 401 94 #27 of 401 78 #88 of 401
Overall 61 77 –
  • MRK ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • IDXX ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • NVS 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

PeriodMRKIDXXNVSSPY
1 month +0.3%+29.6%+12.9% -2.0%
3 months +13.0%+14.3%+3.9% -2.2%
6 months +27.9%+19.4%+9.5% +4.2%
Year to date +37.5%-0.7%+15.5% +10.6%
1 year +75.4%-7.0%+28.6% +10.4%
3 years +39.9%+56.5%+71.7% +73.6%
3 years, per year +11.9%+16.1%+19.8% +20.2%
5 years +59.8%+5.0%+90.3% +61.6%
5 years, per year +9.8%+1.0%+13.7% +10.1%
10 years +147.6%+539.6%+127.8% +261.3%
10 years, per year +9.5%+20.4%+8.6% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureMRKIDXXNVSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.7%35.4%27.6% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.3%31.8%30.0% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.090.750.33 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.54-0.201.03 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.7%-50.9%-20.4% -25.4%
From 52-week high -7.5%-12.3%-5.5% -3.2%
52-week high $156.45$766.68$168.62 $779.14
52-week low $82.49$504.70$123.86 $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.

MultipleMRKIDXXNVS
P/E now vs peer median 112.6xmedian 18.4x 44.8xmedian 18.4x 17.9xmedian 18.4x
P/S now vs peer median 5.4xmedian 9.0x 11.4xmedian 9.0x 5.1xmedian 9.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 30.8xmedian 16.0x 32.2xmedian 16.0x —median 16.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 22.2xmedian 21.8x 40.6xmedian 21.8x 14.3xmedian 21.8x
P/B now vs peer median 8.5xmedian 2.1x 28.3xmedian 2.1x —median 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median 70.89median 0.37 2.96median 0.37 —median 0.37

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 monthsMRKIDXXNVS
Revenue $66.57B $4.66B –
Gross profit $48.57B $2.92B –
Operating income $6.38B $1.51B –
Net income $3.17B $1.18B –
Free cash flow $16.06B $1.30B –
R&D $30.45B $266.87M –
EPS (diluted) $1.28 $14.96 –
Cash & equivalents $6.85B $197.54M $400.00M
Total debt $53.91B $848.88M –
Shares (diluted) 2.47B 79.05M 1.96B
Enterprise value $324.43B $54.28B $292.86B

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
MetricMRKIDXXNVS
P/E 112.6x 44.8x 17.9x
P/FCF 22.2x 40.6x 14.3x
P/Operating cash flow 17.9x 37.3x –
P/S 5.4x 11.4x 5.1x
P/B 8.5x 28.3x –
P/Tangible book 21.0x 30.2x –
EV/EBITDA 30.8x 32.2x –
EV/EBIT 63.3x 35.6x –
EV/Revenue 6.1x 11.5x –
EV/FCF 25.1x 41.1x –
EV/Operating cash flow 20.2x 37.8x –
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 70.89 2.96 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMRKIDXXNVS
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.6% 11.9% –
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 9.1% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) -0.3% 13.7% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 10.8% –
Operating income growth (1Y) -66.6% 15.3% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 1.9% 11.8% –
Net income growth (1Y) -80.7% 15.1% –
Net income CAGR (3Y) 0.5% 12.8% –
EPS growth (1Y) -80.3% 17.4% –
EPS CAGR (3Y) 1.6% 15.1% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.7% 30.4% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.8% 19.6% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 9.1% 35.3% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 24.2% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMRKIDXXNVS
Gross margin 73.0% 62.7% –
EBITDA margin 19.7% 35.7% –
Operating margin 9.6% 32.3% –
Pretax margin 8.9% 31.7% –
Net margin 4.8% 25.4% –
FCF margin 24.1% 28.0% –
Operating cash flow margin 30.0% 30.4% –
Return on equity 7.2% 67.9% –
Return on assets 2.5% 33.1% –
Return on invested capital 3.6% 45.4% –
Return on capital employed 6.3% 65.2% –
Asset turnover 0.5x 1.3x –
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 6.3x 1.2x –
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% 1.4% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMRKIDXXNVS
Debt / assets 41.5% 22.9% –
Debt / equity 1.3x 0.5x –
Net debt / EBITDA 3.6x 0.4x –
Debt / FCF 3.4x 0.7x –
Liabilities / assets 67.7% 49.6% –
Equity / assets 32.3% 50.4% –
Interest coverage – 43.5x –
Current ratio 1.3x 1.2x –
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.7x –
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x –
Altman Z-score 3.88 22.73 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMRKIDXXNVS
Dividend yield 2.4% – 3.0%
Net buyback yield 1.1% 1.8% –
Shareholder yield 3.5% 1.8% 3.0%
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.

ConsensusMRKIDXXNVS
Forward P/E 58.3xFY2026 43.0xFY2026 17.2xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.48FY2026 $15.63FY2026 $9.26FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -72.4%FY2026 +19.5%FY2026 +3.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +257.3% +12.9% +1.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $69.45BFY2026 $5.00BFY2026 $53.95BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.8%FY2026 +16.3%FY2026 -1.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.8% +0.6% +19.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMRKIDXXNVS
Held by institutions 79.9% 93.6% 7.0%
Institutions holding 3,802 1,291 1,609
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.6% +4.1% -5.9%
Institutions buying 1,843 589 662
Institutions selling 1,468 496 562
Buyers to sellers 1.26 1.19 1.18

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.

MRKIDXXNVS
MRK 1.00 0.12 0.48
IDXX 0.12 1.00 0.22
NVS 0.48 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MRK, IDXX and NVS?

Merck (MRK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Merck (MRK) $370.06B, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) $55.06B, Novartis Ag (NVS) $319.62B.

Which stock is cheaper, MRK, IDXX and NVS?

Novartis Ag (NVS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Merck (MRK) 116.6x, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 46.6x, Novartis Ag (NVS) 17.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Novartis Ag (NVS) is cheapest (Merck (MRK) 58.3x, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 43.0x, Novartis Ag (NVS) 17.2x). 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: Merck (MRK) +4.6%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +11.9%.

Which company is more profitable?

Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) has the highest net margin (Merck (MRK) 4.8%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 25.4%). On return on invested capital, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) leads (Merck (MRK) 3.6%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 45.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Merck (MRK) +75.4%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) -7.0%, Novartis Ag (NVS) +28.6%. Over five years, Novartis Ag (NVS) compounded fastest (Merck (MRK) +9.8%/yr, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) +1.0%/yr, Novartis Ag (NVS) +13.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

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

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Novartis Ag (NVS) has been the steadiest (Merck (MRK) 29.7%, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 35.4%, Novartis Ag (NVS) 27.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, MRK, IDXX and NVS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Idexx Laboratories (IDXX) 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.