Merck (MRK) Return on Equity [ROE] (2009 - 2026)
Merck (MRK) recorded Return on Equity [ROE] of 7.21% in Q2 2026, down 26.48 percentage points from 33.69% a year earlier and down 10.91 percentage points from the prior quarter.
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Analysis
Merck (MRK) Return on Equity [ROE] (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
For FY2025, Merck reported Return on Equity [ROE] of 36.88%, down 3.91 percentage points from FY2024.
- Annual Return on Equity [ROE] has a five-year change of +9.33 percentage points (FY2020 to FY2025).
- Across earlier years, Return on Equity [ROE] came in at 40.79% in FY2024 (+39.89 pp), 0.90% in FY2023 (-33.56 pp), 34.46% in FY2022 (-6.59 pp) and 41.05% in FY2021 (+13.49 pp).
- The Q2 2026 figure is the lowest quarterly Return on Equity [ROE] since Q1 2024.
- On a year-over-year basis, Return on Equity [ROE] has declined for three consecutive quarters, with an average year-over-year change of +5.85 percentage points over the last eight quarters.
- Peak year-over-year performance for Return on Equity [ROE] in the last five years was a gain of 36.73 percentage points in Q4 2024, against a drop of 32.08 percentage points in Q2 2023 at the low end.
- Per Business Quant, the preceding three quarters came in at 18.12% (Q1 2026), 34.93% (Q4 2025) and 37.72% (Q3 2025).
Peer Set
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROE (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Lilly | 1,261.99 Bn | 1,235.61 Bn | 20.46 Bn | 74.39% |
| 2 | Johnson & Johnson | 678.93 Bn | 598.79 Bn | 17.30 Bn | 19.33% |
| 3 | AbbVie | 518.29 Bn | 486.30 Bn | 13.12 Bn | - |
| 4 | Merck | 365.98 Bn | 328.92 Bn | 13.19 Bn | 5.63% |
| 5 | Novartis Ag | 316.85 Bn | 290.09 Bn | - | - |
| 6 | Astrazeneca | 293.40 Bn | 267.29 Bn | 13.26 Bn | 21.60% |
| 7 | Amgen | 251.78 Bn | 203.43 Bn | 7.58 Bn | 72.13% |
| 8 | Gilead Sciences | 210.61 Bn | 185.71 Bn | 6.73 Bn | -31.17% |
| 9 | Pfizer | 166.87 Bn | 114.23 Bn | 12.56 Bn | 4.66% |
| 10 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | 139.96 Bn | 111.95 Bn | 2.91 Bn | 19.32% |
Historic Data
Download Data
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | 5.63% |
| Jun 30, 2026 | 7.21% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 18.12% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 34.93% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 37.72% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 33.69% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 36.83% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 37.68% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 27.58% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 32.71% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 5.94% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 0.96% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 11.55% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 7.30% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 28.06% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 32.07% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 34.77% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 39.37% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 35.82% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 35.25% |
API Access
Merck Return on Equity [ROE] API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-equity-%5Broe%5D&ticker=MRK&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "return-on-equity-[roe]", "ticker": "MRK", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-equity-%5Broe%5D&ticker=MRK&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();