MRK vs NVS vs ABBV Stock Comparison

Merck, Novartis Ag and AbbVie Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MRK Merck & Co., Inc.
$145.28 -1.9% 1M +66.6% 1Y
Market cap
$346.73B
P/E
109.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$66.57B
Div. yield
0.02%
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
1 win
NVS Novartis Ag
$151.12 +5.9% 1M +14.8% 1Y
Market cap
$298.40B
P/E
18.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$54.77B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
5 wins
ABBV AbbVie Inc.
$285.60 +7.7% 1M +25.1% 1Y
Market cap
$507.44B
P/E
80.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$64.39B
Div. yield
–
Pharmaceuticals Healthcare
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

AbbVie leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (AbbVie 5, Novartis Ag 5, Merck 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMRKNVSABBVLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $346.73B $298.40B $507.44B ABBV
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 109.3x 18.9x 80.4x NVS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 58.3x 16.3x 21.3x NVS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +4.6% +2.8% +10.4% ABBV
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.8% 28.8% 9.8% NVS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.6% 34.9% 18.7% NVS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.6x — 2.6x ABBV
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +66.6% +14.8% +25.1% MRK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +12.4%/yr +12.2%/yr +21.2%/yr ABBV
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.4% 27.8% 25.9% ABBV
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 61/100 71/100 68/100 NVS

Percentile Scorecard

MRKNVSABBV

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

AxisMRKNVSABBV
Valuation 79 #134 of 624 90 #63 of 624 95 #30 of 624
Growth 36 #387 of 603 54 #276 of 603 54 #281 of 603
Profitability 91 #53 of 555 96 #25 of 555 95 #29 of 555
Financial Health 20 #528 of 657 42 #384 of 657 15 #556 of 657
Shareholder Returns 81 #71 of 370 73 #101 of 370 81 #70 of 370
Overall 61 71 68
  • MRK ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • NVS ranked among 671 companies in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
  • ABBV 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

PeriodMRKNVSABBVSPY
1 month -1.9%+5.9%+7.7% -1.0%
3 months +10.8%-2.5%+10.1% +2.9%
6 months +29.8%+3.9%+43.7% +6.4%
Year to date +38.0%+9.6%+25.0% +11.4%
1 year +66.6%+14.8%+25.1% +13.1%
3 years +41.0%+59.2%+95.2% +79.4%
3 years, per year +12.1%+16.8%+25.0% +21.5%
5 years +79.0%+78.0%+161.7% +67.7%
5 years, per year +12.4%+12.2%+21.2% +10.9%
10 years +137.4%+100.1%+368.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year +9.0%+7.2%+16.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureMRKNVSABBVSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.4%27.8%25.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 24.2%30.5%24.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.130.31-0.16 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.270.530.97 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -44.7%-20.4%-24.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -7.1%-10.4%-1.2% -2.5%
52-week high $156.45$168.62$288.96 $779.14
52-week low $82.49$121.80$197.38 $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.

MultipleMRKNVSABBV
P/E now vs peer median 113.1xmedian 17.2x 18.6xmedian 17.2x 80.1xmedian 17.2x
P/S now vs peer median 5.4xmedian 8.8x 5.3xmedian 8.8x 7.8xmedian 8.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 30.9xmedian 16.0x —median 16.0x 22.9xmedian 16.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 22.3xmedian 17.8x 14.9xmedian 17.8x 27.7xmedian 17.8x
P/B now vs peer median 8.5xmedian 2.1x 6.9xmedian 2.1x -85.0xmedian 2.1x
PEG now vs peer median 71.19median 0.32 0.57median 0.32 -7.93median 0.32

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 monthsMRKNVSABBV
Revenue $66.57B $54.77B $64.39B
Gross profit $48.57B $42.37B $46.02B
Operating income $6.38B $17.10B $16.87B
Net income $3.17B $12.75B $6.32B
Free cash flow $16.06B $19.38B $18.21B
R&D $30.45B $11.69B $9.71B
EPS (diluted) $1.28 $8.07 $3.56
Cash & equivalents $6.85B $7.62B $6.57B
Total debt $193.74B $31.01B $282.90B
Shares (diluted) 2.47B 1.96B 1.77B
Enterprise value $301.10B $262.39B $480.55B

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
MetricMRKNVSABBV
P/E 113.1x 18.6x 80.1x
P/FCF 22.3x 14.9x 27.7x
P/Operating cash flow 18.0x 15.7x 25.9x
P/S 5.4x 5.3x 7.8x
P/B 8.5x 6.9x -85.0x
P/Tangible book 21.1x -2,253x -9.2x
EV/EBITDA 30.9x – 22.9x
EV/EBIT 63.5x 17.0x 33.7x
EV/Revenue 6.1x 5.3x 8.8x
EV/FCF 25.2x 15.0x 31.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.3x 15.8x 29.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 71.19 0.57 -7.93

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMRKNVSABBV
Revenue growth (1Y) 4.6% 2.8% 10.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 8.1% 4.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -0.3% 0.7% 11.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 4.5% 9.5% 6.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) -66.6% 2.5% 53.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 1.9% 23.8% -1.0%
Net income growth (1Y) -80.7% -6.5% 67.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 0.5% 21.7% -10.1%
EPS growth (1Y) -80.3% -9.6% 67.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 1.6% 32.3% -10.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.7% -11.5% 1.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 9.8% 6.2% -8.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 9.1% -10.2% -0.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 7.0% -9.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMRKNVSABBV
Gross margin 73.0% 77.4% 71.5%
EBITDA margin 19.7% – 38.5%
Operating margin 9.6% 31.2% 26.2%
Pretax margin 8.9% 28.3% 13.5%
Net margin 4.8% 28.8% 9.8%
FCF margin 24.1% 35.4% 28.3%
Operating cash flow margin 30.0% 33.6% 30.3%
Return on equity 7.2% 31.5% –
Return on assets 2.5% 10.6% 4.7%
Return on invested capital 3.6% 34.9% 18.7%
Return on capital employed 6.3% 19.3% 17.9%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 6.3x 1.4x 3.1x
Stock comp / revenue 1.3% – 1.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMRKNVSABBV
Debt / assets 41.5% 7.9% 52.4%
Debt / equity 1.3x 0.2x -11.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.6x – 2.6x
Debt / FCF 3.4x 0.5x 3.9x
Liabilities / assets 67.7% 65.6% 104.4%
Equity / assets 32.3% 34.4% -4.4%
Interest coverage – 36.7x –
Current ratio 1.3x 0.9x 0.8x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.5x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 3.89 – 2.78

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMRKNVSABBV
Dividend yield 2.3% 3.1% 2.4%
Net buyback yield 1.1% -1.5% 0.3%
Shareholder yield 3.4% 1.6% 2.7%
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.

ConsensusMRKNVSABBV
Forward P/E 58.3xFY2026 16.3xFY2026 21.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.49FY2026 $9.29FY2026 $13.38FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -72.3%FY2026 +3.5%FY2026 +33.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +257.4% +1.1% +25.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $69.45BFY2026 $53.94BFY2026 $69.55BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +6.8%FY2026 -1.1%FY2026 +13.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.8% +19.2% -0.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMRKNVSABBV
Held by institutions 79.9% 7.0% 74.9%
Institutions holding 3,794 1,607 4,173
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.6% -5.9% +2.6%
Institutions buying 1,840 662 2,201
Institutions selling 1,464 560 1,502
Buyers to sellers 1.26 1.18 1.47

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.

MRKNVSABBV
MRK 1.00 0.48 0.42
NVS 0.48 1.00 0.50
ABBV 0.42 0.50 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MRK, NVS and ABBV?

AbbVie (ABBV) is the largest by market capitalisation: Merck (MRK) $346.73B, Novartis Ag (NVS) $298.40B, AbbVie (ABBV) $507.44B.

Which stock is cheaper, MRK, NVS and ABBV?

Novartis Ag (NVS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Merck (MRK) 109.3x, Novartis Ag (NVS) 18.9x, AbbVie (ABBV) 80.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Novartis Ag (NVS) is cheapest (Merck (MRK) 58.3x, Novartis Ag (NVS) 16.3x, AbbVie (ABBV) 21.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

AbbVie (ABBV) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Merck (MRK) +4.6%, Novartis Ag (NVS) +2.8%, AbbVie (ABBV) +10.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Novartis Ag (NVS) has the highest net margin (Merck (MRK) 4.8%, Novartis Ag (NVS) 28.8%, AbbVie (ABBV) 9.8%). On return on invested capital, Novartis Ag (NVS) leads (Merck (MRK) 3.6%, Novartis Ag (NVS) 34.9%, AbbVie (ABBV) 18.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Merck (MRK) returned the most: Merck (MRK) +66.6%, Novartis Ag (NVS) +14.8%, AbbVie (ABBV) +25.1%. Over five years, AbbVie (ABBV) compounded fastest (Merck (MRK) +12.4%/yr, Novartis Ag (NVS) +12.2%/yr, AbbVie (ABBV) +21.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

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

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, AbbVie (ABBV) has been the steadiest (Merck (MRK) 29.4%, Novartis Ag (NVS) 27.8%, AbbVie (ABBV) 25.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

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