JNJ vs MRK Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare Johnson & Johnson and Merck by drug pipeline depth, oncology revenue, medical device strength, dividend growth, and long-term shareholder value.
Use this Johnson & Johnson vs Merck comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
MRK holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. MRK leads on both 1-year return (+61.14%) and forward P/E quality (13.45x vs 20.07x for JNJ), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. On fundamentals, JNJ is growing revenue faster (6.60%), while MRK maintains the higher operating margin (38.60%) — a classic growth-versus-profitability split. Analyst consensus implies similar upside for both: +5.73% for JNJ and +3.83% for MRK.
| Metric | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 52.3 | 49.9 |
| AI rank | #341 | #483 |
| Latest close | $254.41 | $127.77 |
| 1M return | -3.28% | -1.38% |
| 6M return | +10.25% | +12.70% |
| 1Y return | +52.04% | +61.14% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $14.87K (+48.7%) started 2025-08-04 | $16K (+60.0%) started 2025-08-04 |
| 5Y ago | $18.26K (+82.6%) started 2021-08-05 | $21.31K (+113.1%) started 2021-08-05 |
| 10Y ago | $34.13K (+241.3%) started 2016-08-05 | $36.87K (+268.7%) started 2016-08-05 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $617.78B | $314.9B |
| Trailing P/E | 29.77 | 36.68 |
| Forward P/E | 20.07 | 13.45 |
| Price/Sales | 4.18 | 3.10 |
| EV/Revenue | 6.60 | 5.55 |
| Analyst target | $271.05 | $135.19 |
| Target upside | +5.73% | +3.83% |
| Metric | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 6.60% | 4.90% |
| Earnings growth | -0.90% | -19.30% |
| EPS growth | -0.90% | -19.30% |
| FCF margin | +17.24% | +21.36% |
| Operating margin | 29.19% | 38.60% |
| Profit margin | 21.48% | 13.59% |
| ROIC proxy | 25.74% | 18.94% |
| Return on equity | 25.74% | 18.94% |
| Dividend yield | 2.09% | 2.61% |
| Beta | 0.23 | 0.20 |
| Debt/equity | 57.71 | 106.94 |
| Current ratio | 1.09 | 1.30 |
| Quick ratio | 0.72 | 0.70 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +48.74% | +59.99% |
| CAGR | +48.88% | +60.17% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 2.03 | 1.68 | |
| Max drawdown | 10.96% | 11.90% | |
| Max daily drop | 3.66% | 4.06% | |
| Max wkly drop | 6.22% | 6.49% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +63.08% | +89.28% |
| CAGR | +10.28% | +13.62% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.39 | 0.47 | |
| Max drawdown | 18.41% | 43.44% | |
| Max daily drop | 7.59% | 9.86% | |
| Max wkly drop | 9.18% | 13.42% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +160.43% | +173.01% |
| CAGR | +10.05% | +10.57% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.37 | 0.36 | |
| Max drawdown | 27.37% | 43.44% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.04% | 9.86% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.25% | 13.71% |
| Category | JNJ | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Company | JNJ | MRK |
| Sector | Healthcare | Healthcare |
| Industry | Drug Manufacturers - General | Drug Manufacturers - General |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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