MRK vs. REGN: Merck vs. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Merck (MRK) is heavily traded at around 10.24M shares per day, whereas Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) sees a more moderate 772.95K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 14.95% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Merck (MRK) at 5.06% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for REGN.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 28.51% 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 Merck (MRK) at 35.22% and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 40.46% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Merck (MRK) at 1.31% and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 0.99% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both Merck (MRK) at 8.01% and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 8.19% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 3.35 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.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 0.08 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

Both Merck (MRK) at 2.29% and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 0.41% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

Merck (MRK) reports payout ratio above 100% at 343.43%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) reports 8.18%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 19.99 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 Merck (MRK) at 5.37 and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 5.54 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) at 2.71 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Merck (MRK) at 8.06 carries an above-peer premium to book — MRK is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics