BNTX vs. MRK: BioNTech vs. Merck Stock Comparison

Company Profile

BioNTech (BNTX) and Merck (MRK) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but BNTX is classified in Biotechnology while MRK is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

Merck (MRK) trades as ordinary local shares, while BioNTech (BNTX) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

BioNTech (BNTX) has an aggressive beta of 1.30, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Merck (MRK) is defensive at 0.11 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

BioNTech (BNTX) reports a negative ROE of -8.14%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Merck (MRK) reports 5.06%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BioNTech (BNTX) reports a negative net margin of -60.87%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Merck (MRK) reports 3.64%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Both BioNTech (BNTX) at 30.28% and Merck (MRK) at 35.22% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both BioNTech (BNTX) at 4.32% and Merck (MRK) at 1.31% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Only one side can be read here: Merck (MRK) reports EPS growth of 8.01%, ranked against its industry; BioNTech (BNTX) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

BioNTech (BNTX) at 8.55 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Merck (MRK) at 1.35 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for MRK.

BioNTech (BNTX) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Merck (MRK) at 1.20 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

BioNTech (BNTX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Merck (MRK) reports a yield of 2.29%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Merck (MRK) reports payout ratio above 100% at 343.43%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings; BioNTech (BNTX) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Merck (MRK) trades at 148.21 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while BioNTech (BNTX) has no P/E ratio this period.

On P/S ratio, both BioNTech (BNTX) at 8.96 and Merck (MRK) at 5.37 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

BioNTech (BNTX) at 1.09 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Merck (MRK) at 8.06 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.

Valuation Metrics