JNJ vs MRK
Johnson & Johnson and Merck, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- JNJBuy more2.4%
Johnson & Johnson's report on Oct 13 beat profit forecasts by 2.4%, and it pays a 1.9% dividend that it has raised for 64 years in a row.
- MRKBuy more17%
Merck's report on Oct 29 beat profit forecasts by 17%, and it pays a 2.3% dividend that it has raised for 15 years in a row.
Percent return
- JNJ+47.93%
- MRK+66.58%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: JNJ $659B, MRK $322B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: JNJ +7.8%, MRK +4.9%. JNJ is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: JNJ $25, MRK $17. MRK is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: JNJ 27¢, MRK 15¢. JNJ is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: JNJ −$27.4B, MRK −$46.8B. JNJ is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: JNJ +48%, MRK +67%. MRK is ahead. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: JNJ 24%, MRK 33%. JNJ is ahead.
| Measure | JNJJohnson & Johnson | MRKMerck |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $280.33 | $147.12 |
| Today | Best in this row: −0.16% | −0.63% |
| 1 month | Best in this row: +7.26% | +1.09% |
| 3 months | +8.43% | Best in this row: +13.47% |
| This year | +37.68% | Best in this row: +42.71% |
| 1 year | +47.93% | Best in this row: +66.58% |
| 5 years | +97.74% | Best in this row: +104.12% |
| From 52-week high | −0.6% | −5.4% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | Best in this row: 24% | 33% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $659B | $322B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | Best in this row: 31.8× | 36.7× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | 24.8× | Best in this row: 17.4× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | Best in this row: 2.17× | 2.22× |
| Price to sales | 6.7× | Best in this row: 5.4× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | 32.3× | Best in this row: 22.5× |
| Company value vs operating profit | 20.1× | Best in this row: 13.8× |
| Price vs earnings, against its own past (0 = cheapest) | 100 | 100 |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | Best in this row: +7.8% | +4.9% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | Best in this row: +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | Best in this row: −3.6% | −48.3% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | +4.3% | Best in this row: +221.1% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | 67.8% | Best in this row: 76.9% |
| Kept as operating profit | Best in this row: 26.6% | 15.1% |
| Kept as final profit | Best in this row: 16.2% | 3.6% |
| Kept as spare cash | 20.7% | – |
| Profit on shareholders' money | Best in this row: 20.0% | 5.1% |
| Profit on all money put in | Best in this row: 21.6% | 5.9% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | Best in this row: −$27.4B | −$46.8B |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | Best in this row: 0.55× | 1.20× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | 1.02× | Best in this row: 1.35× |
| Dividend yield | 1.94% | Best in this row: 2.32% |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | Best in this row: 81% | 344% |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Buy more | Buy more |
| Why | Johnson & Johnson's report on Oct 13 beat profit forecasts by 2.4%, and it pays a 1.9% dividend that it has raised for 64 years in a row. | Merck's report on Oct 29 beat profit forecasts by 17%, and it pays a 2.3% dividend that it has raised for 15 years in a row. |
| Where the price sits | in the full report | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | Best in this row: 56 | 53 |
| Our value score | 57 | Best in this row: 58 |
| Our growth score | Best in this row: 34 | 30 |
| Our quality score | Best in this row: 87 | 80 |
| Our price trend score | Best in this row: 62 | 61 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Analyst consensus | Buy | Buy |
| To average analyst target | +2.7% | Best in this row: +10.2% |
| Average analyst target | $287.88 | $162.14 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | Best in this row: 70% | 68% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | Best in this row: 0 | −1 |
| Analysts covering | 17 | 22 |
JNJ: faster sales growth
Our pick of these: Johnson & Johnson
Sales growth +7.8% vs +4.9%
JNJ +7.8%, MRK +4.9%.Forward P/E per point of sales growth 3.18 vs 3.56
JNJ 3.18, MRK 3.56.Keeps 26.6% of sales as operating profit, vs 15.1%
JNJ 26.6%, MRK 15.1%.Where it loses: MRK has more analyst upside, +10.2% vs +2.7%
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Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.