MRK vs NUVB vs AZN Stock Comparison

Merck, Nuvation Bio and Astrazeneca Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$141.84 -4.7% 1M +61.2% 1Y
Market cap
$347.85B
P/E
109.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$66.57B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
3 wins
NUVB Nuvation Bio Inc.
$4.54 -20.6% 1M -9.9% 1Y
Market cap
$1.60B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$169.90M
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
1 win
AZN Astrazeneca Plc
$170.02 +2.1% 1M +1.1% 1Y
Market cap
$262.84B
P/E
25.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$58.67B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
7 wins

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.

QuestionMRKNUVBAZNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $347.85B $1.60B $262.84B MRK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 109.6x -10.6x 25.2x AZN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 57.2x — 17.0x AZN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.6% +1,083.6% +9.4% NUVB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.8% -88.2% 17.8% AZN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% — 23.3% AZN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.6x 4.9x 1.4x AZN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +61.2% -9.9% +1.1% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +10.4%/yr -13.7%/yr +6.5%/yr MRK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.6% 79.1% 27.4% AZN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 63/100 71/100 AZN

Percentile Scorecard

MRKNUVBAZN

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

AxisMRKNUVBAZN
Valuation 80 #124 of 625 59 #256 of 625 86 #91 of 625
Growth 36 #384 of 602 61 #236 of 602 70 #183 of 602
Profitability 91 #53 of 551 65 #192 of 551 94 #34 of 551
Financial Health 20 #526 of 656 67 #218 of 656 36 #420 of 656
Shareholder Returns 82 #68 of 365 64 #131 of 365 70 #111 of 365
Overall 62 63 71
  • MRK ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • NUVB ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • AZN ranked among 672 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMRKNUVBAZNSPY
1 month -4.7%-20.6%+2.1% -0.2%
3 months +7.6%-32.2%-1.4% +3.9%
6 months +28.9%-0.4%-8.9% +8.2%
Year to date +34.8%-49.3%-7.5% +12.9%
1 year +61.2%-9.9%+1.1% +12.3%
3 years +37.9%+345.1%+37.4% +87.4%
3 years, per year +11.3%+64.6%+11.2% +23.3%
5 years +63.9%-52.2%+36.7% +67.9%
5 years, per year +10.4%-13.7%+6.5% +10.9%
10 years +131.4%—+197.9% +261.1%
10 years, per year +8.8%—+11.5% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureMRKNUVBAZNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.6%79.1%27.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.6%76.7%27.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.121.640.21 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.07-0.130.04 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.7%-90.4%-27.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.3%-52.4%-18.8% -1.2%
52-week high $156.45$9.54$209.48 $779.14
52-week low $82.49$4.05$155.60 $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.

MultipleMRKNUVBAZN
P/E now vs peer median 110.4xmedian 17.2x -10.6xmedian 17.2x 25.2xmedian 17.2x
P/S now vs peer median 5.3xmedian 9.0x 9.3xmedian 9.0x 4.5xmedian 9.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 30.3xmedian 16.3x -6.8xmedian 16.3x 14.3xmedian 16.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 21.8xmedian 18.7x -12.2xmedian 18.7x 24.7xmedian 18.7x
P/B now vs peer median 8.3xmedian 2.2x 6.2xmedian 2.2x 5.2xmedian 2.2x
PEG now vs peer median 69.50median 0.33 8.07median 0.33 1.31median 0.33

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 monthsMRKNUVBAZN
Revenue $66.57B $169.90M $58.67B
Gross profit $48.57B – $50.25B
Operating income $6.38B -$137.63M $13.97B
Net income $3.17B -$149.83M $10.45B
Free cash flow $16.06B -$128.93M $10.67B
R&D $30.45B $128.85M $15.07B
EPS (diluted) $1.28 $-0.43 $6.69
Cash & equivalents $6.85B $258.60M $4.90B
Total debt $53.91B $5.89M $32.35B
Shares (diluted) 2.47B 348.77M 1.56B
Enterprise value $302.23B -$677.32M $236.53B

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
MetricMRKNUVBAZN
P/E 110.4x -10.6x 25.2x
P/FCF 21.8x -12.2x 24.7x
P/Operating cash flow 17.5x -13.1x 19.2x
P/S 5.3x 9.3x 4.5x
P/B 8.3x 6.2x 5.2x
P/Tangible book 20.6x 6.5x 20.8x
EV/EBITDA 30.3x -6.8x 14.3x
EV/EBIT 62.2x -6.7x 20.8x
EV/Revenue 6.0x 5.4x 5.0x
EV/FCF 24.7x -7.1x 27.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.9x -7.6x 21.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 69.50 8.07 1.31

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMRKNUVBAZN
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.6% 1,084% 9.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.5% – 10.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -0.3% – 9.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.5% – 13.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) -66.6% 38.7% 23.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 1.9% -9.0% 23.9%
Net income growth (1Y) -80.7% 26.2% 25.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 0.5% -18.3% 19.2%
EPS growth (1Y) -80.3% 27.9% 26.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 1.6% -1.3% 19.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.7% 28.3% 2.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.8% -14.1% 13.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 9.1% 23.5% -4.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.0% -16.6% 8.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMRKNUVBAZN
Gross margin 73.0% – 85.6%
EBITDA margin 19.7% -79.0% 34.6%
Operating margin 9.6% -81.0% 23.8%
Pretax margin 8.9% -88.2% 21.5%
Net margin 4.8% -88.2% 17.8%
FCF margin 24.1% -75.9% 18.2%
Operating cash flow margin 30.0% -70.9% 23.3%
Return on equity 7.2% -52.3% 21.4%
Return on assets 2.5% -22.1% 9.1%
Return on invested capital 3.6% – 23.3%
Return on capital employed 6.3% -23.3% 16.8%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.3x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 6.3x 0.8x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% 20.9% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMRKNUVBAZN
Debt / assets 41.5% 0.8% 27.9%
Debt / equity 1.3x 0.0x 0.6x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.6x 4.9x 1.4x
Debt / FCF 3.4x 0.0x 3.0x
Liabilities / assets 67.7% 65.9% 56.5%
Equity / assets 32.3% 34.1% 43.5%
Interest coverage – -5.2x 15.9x
Current ratio 1.3x 8.4x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.7x 7.9x 0.7x
Cash ratio 0.3x 7.6x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.83 0.37 3.43

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMRKNUVBAZN
Dividend yield 2.4% – 1.4%
Net buyback yield 1.1% -0.7% 0.0%
Shareholder yield 3.5% -0.7% 1.4%
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.

ConsensusMRKNUVBAZN
Forward P/E 57.2xFY2026 – 17.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.48FY2026 $-0.38FY2026 $10.00FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -72.4%FY2026 – +9.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +257.3% – +6.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $69.45BFY2026 $187.51MFY2026 $59.02BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.8%FY2026 +198.1%FY2026 +0.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.8% +52.8% +8.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMRKNUVBAZN
Held by institutions 79.9% 66.6% 52.1%
Institutions holding 3,796 238 1,496
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.6% +5.7% +7.8%
Institutions buying 1,842 148 808
Institutions selling 1,464 50 468
Buyers to sellers 1.26 2.96 1.73

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.

MRKNUVBAZN
MRK 1.00 0.19 0.49
NUVB 0.19 1.00 0.15
AZN 0.49 0.15 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MRK, NUVB and AZN?

Merck (MRK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Merck (MRK) $347.85B, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) $1.60B, Astrazeneca (AZN) $262.84B.

Which stock is cheaper, MRK, NUVB and AZN?

Astrazeneca (AZN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Merck (MRK) 109.6x, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) -10.6x, Astrazeneca (AZN) 25.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Astrazeneca (AZN) is cheapest (Merck (MRK) 57.2x, Astrazeneca (AZN) 17.0x). 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: Merck (MRK) +4.6%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) +1,083.6%, Astrazeneca (AZN) +9.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Astrazeneca (AZN) has the highest net margin (Merck (MRK) 4.8%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) -88.2%, Astrazeneca (AZN) 17.8%). On return on invested capital, Astrazeneca (AZN) leads (Merck (MRK) 3.6%, Astrazeneca (AZN) 23.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Merck (MRK) +61.2%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) -9.9%, Astrazeneca (AZN) +1.1%. Over five years, Merck (MRK) compounded fastest (Merck (MRK) +10.4%/yr, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) -13.7%/yr, Astrazeneca (AZN) +6.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Merck (MRK) 0.02%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) 0.00%, Astrazeneca (AZN) 0.00%. Nuvation Bio (NUVB) and Astrazeneca (AZN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Astrazeneca (AZN) has been the steadiest (Merck (MRK) 29.6%, Nuvation Bio (NUVB) 79.1%, Astrazeneca (AZN) 27.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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.