MRK vs. NTRA: Merck vs. Natera Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Natera (NTRA) has an aggressive beta of 1.58, 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

Natera (NTRA) reports a negative ROE of -10.55%; 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.

Natera (NTRA) reports a negative net margin of -5.66%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Merck (MRK) reports 3.64%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Natera (NTRA) reports a negative operating margin of -7.64%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Merck (MRK) reports 35.22%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Merck (MRK) at 1.31% and Natera (NTRA) at 35.90% 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; Natera (NTRA) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Natera (NTRA) at 2.81 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.

Natera (NTRA) at 0.13 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Merck (MRK) at 1.20 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Natera (NTRA) 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; Natera (NTRA) 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 Natera (NTRA) has no P/E ratio this period.

On P/S ratio, both Merck (MRK) at 5.37 and Natera (NTRA) at 15.49 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Both look rich against book: Merck (MRK) at 8.06 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Natera (NTRA) at 23.99 prices even higher, above its industry range.

Valuation Metrics