MRK vs. UTHR: Merck vs. United Therapeutics Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Merck (MRK) and United Therapeutics (UTHR) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but MRK is classified in Pharmaceuticals while UTHR 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 United Therapeutics (UTHR) sees a more moderate 694.55K — 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

United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 19.13% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Merck (MRK) at 5.06% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for UTHR.

United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 38.61% 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 United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 28.99% 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 United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 10.61% 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 United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 13.07% 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

United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 4.61 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.

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Merck (MRK) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20 against its industry range, while United Therapeutics (UTHR) reports no figure this period.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

United Therapeutics (UTHR) 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; United Therapeutics (UTHR) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%).

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 21.22 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 United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 7.51 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

United Therapeutics (UTHR) at 3.80 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