ILMN vs. MRK: Illumina vs. Merck Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Illumina (ILMN) and Merck (MRK) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but ILMN is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services while MRK is classified in Pharmaceuticals.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Illumina (ILMN) has an aggressive beta of 1.46, 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

Illumina (ILMN) at 32.39% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Merck (MRK) at 5.06% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for ILMN.

Illumina (ILMN) at 19.72% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Merck (MRK) at 3.64% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

Both Illumina (ILMN) at 20.02% 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

Merck (MRK) at 1.31% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Illumina (ILMN) at -0.66% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Illumina (ILMN) at 2.63 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.

Both Illumina (ILMN) at 0.74 and Merck (MRK) at 1.20 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Illumina (ILMN) 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; Illumina (ILMN) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Illumina (ILMN) at 36.68 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Merck (MRK) at 148.21 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for MRK’s trailing earnings.

On P/S ratio, both Illumina (ILMN) at 7.10 and Merck (MRK) at 5.37 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Both Illumina (ILMN) at 10.30 and Merck (MRK) at 8.06 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics