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Quote this valuation with its source: Fair value, Potential value and the price at analysis.
FAQ
MRK — frequently asked questions
Is Merck & Co., Inc. overvalued?
In our latest published analysis dated 2026-09-08, MRK screens modestly overvalued. The price recorded at analysis is 150 USD versus our fair value of 141 USD; the high endpoint is presented separately as potential value of 279 USD. That implies roughly 6.0% downside to fair value at that date.
Our latest published report, analyzed 2026-09-08, gives MRK a fair value of 141 USD and a potential value of 279 USD. The conclusion is triangulated across multiple valuation models and weighted by reliability for Merck & Co., Inc.'s archetype; it is a dated research output, not a live price.
Should I buy MRK now?
Our latest published rating for MRK, analyzed 2026-09-08, is Hold. Merck & Co., Inc. screens modestly overvalued at the analysis-date price of 150 USD versus fair value of 141 USD; potential value is 279 USD. This is research for educational purposes, not personalized investment advice.
What are the biggest risks for MRK?
The dedicated bear-case section in our report analyzed 2026-09-08 documents Merck & Co., Inc.'s material risks, evidence, thresholds, and thesis-invalidation conditions. Scenario-specific explanations remain in that section so the report does not repeat or decontextualize them elsewhere.
What is MRK's rating?
Our latest published rating for MRK, analyzed 2026-09-08, is Hold, with a published moat assessment of 1/10 (None). It reflects our fair value of 141 USD, the potential value of 279 USD, and the price recorded at analysis (150 USD).
The clearest upside path is FY2027 revenue near $70.30 billion and EPS near $9.54, supported by fewer shares outstanding.1,3
Cycle upside
A favorable demand cycle would appear if Merck reaches its dated FY2027 revenue forecast and peers maintain growth without forcing pricing concessions.1
Evidence-backed thesis
Hold because the report-date price is above Fair value and the earnings recovery still needs proof.3
Recomendación de la casa
Hold because the report-date price is above Fair value and the earnings recovery still needs proof.3
Descripción general de la empresa
The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products. Human health pharmaceutical products consist of therapeutic and preventive agents, generally sold by prescription, for the treatment of human disorders.
The Company sells these human health pharmaceutical products primarily to drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies, and managed health care providers such as health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit managers and other institutions.
§2 Caso bajistaEN
A combined earnings miss, weaker cash backing and valuation compression would reduce profit durability, shareholder distributions and the price investors pay for future earnings.
Merck has no validated structural moat in the supplied evidence. Profit and cash generation are business outcomes, not proof of switching costs, scale advantages or protected distribution.
The mixed peer set is useful for growth and valuation comparisons. Its members have different margins and growth rates, while the evidence does not establish product-level market-share transfer.
Beneficio económico
FY2025 profit and positive cash generation show valuable operations, but they do not establish a lasting barrier against competition.4
1/ 10
None
Amenazas conocidas al foso
Amenaza
Severidad
Cronograma
Mitigación
Faster broad-pharma growth could attract demand and investment away from Merck, while pricing pressure could reduce sales and margins.
high
Through FY2027 and the following two fiscal years
Require Merck to meet the dated FY2027 revenue forecast without margin erosion before assuming a longer advantage period.1
A forward valuation reset would make investors pay less for each dollar of expected earnings, even if revenue continues growing modestly.
medium
Within 24 months
Keep valuation expectations tied to demonstrated earnings normalization rather than assume a premium to the observed comparable range.
The highlighted cell is Fair value when every assumption sits at its base level ($141.37). Each row and column shows what Fair value becomes when one assumption moves.
Free cash flow to the firm stays positive in the first projected year at $21.1B after modeled capex of $4.1B, with terminal value at 67.7% of enterprise value. A sudden drop in free cash flow is not projected unless capital spending relative to revenue, reinvestment, or gross margin resets materially.
FY2027 revenue and EPS remain near their dated analyst means.1
Growth fades after FY2027 rather than extending the rebound rate.
Revenue recovery continues, margins normalize and per-share results receive modest support from a lower share count. Later growth remains measured rather than accelerating.3
FY2027 revenue and EPS reach the stronger portions of their dated ranges.
§7 Árbol de decisión de resultadosEN
Superado
Hold the position and reassess whether the improvement can persist.
Disparador: Revenue and EPS exceed their dated ranges without weaker cash backing.1
Stronger revenue and margins would improve the earnings base.
En línea
Hold the position and continue monitoring the recovery.
Disparador: FY2027 revenue and EPS remain within dated ranges.1
Meeting forecasts would confirm recovery, not lasting acceleration.
Fallo
Reduce exposure if earnings and cash weaken together.
Disparador: FY2027 EPS falls below its dated range or cash backing breaches its stated boundary.
That combination would undermine profit durability and distributions.
Calidad de los beneficios
Cash backing remains supportive, but disagreement between forensic accounting observations argues for continued verification rather than treating reported profit as unquestioned.
FY2025 operating cash gave substantial support to reported profit, although conflicting forensic evidence warrants continued verification.
Asignación de capital
Shares outstanding were 2.467 billion on 2026-09-08, below the FY2025 diluted average of 2.507 billion. Continued per-share gains depend on funding repurchases without raising leverage.
Use the dated revenue, profit, capital spending and leverage evidence rather than infer a capital-efficiency trend from an unmatched snapshot.
Treat the comparison as unknown. The dated WACC was 6.601% as of and retrieved 2026-09-08.
FY2025 restored a substantial earnings base.
Revenue was $65.01 billion and net income was $18.25 billion for FY2025, retrieved 2026-09-08.
The base supports recovery, but the wide FY2027 earnings range shows that durability still needs proof.
Capital demands and leverage limit distribution flexibility.
FY2025 capital spending was $4.11 billion, while debt exceeded cash.
More cash may need to fund investment and debt reduction before supporting faster dividends or repurchases.
Ingresos más recientes65 mil M US$CAGR de ingresos +5,6 %
Margen operativo36,1 %10 periodos fiscales
Flujo de caja libre más reciente12,4 mil M US$FY2025
Deuda neta36 mil M US$FY2025
Desglose de la cuenta de resultadosCómo la escala del negocio se convierte en beneficio declarado.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Ingresos65 mil M US$Coste de ventas−18,3 mil M US$Beneficio bruto46,7 mil M US$Gastos operativos−23,2 mil M US$Beneficio operativo23,5 mil M US$Partidas no operativas e impuestos−5232 M US$Beneficio neto18,3 mil M US$
Datos del historial financiero
Ingresos
65.011.000.000 US$
Coste de ventas
18.280.000.000 US$
Beneficio bruto
46.731.000.000 US$
Gastos operativos
23.245.000.000 US$
Beneficio operativo
23.486.000.000 US$
Partidas no operativas e impuestos
-5.232.000.000 US$
Beneficio neto
18.254.000.000 US$
Resumen del balanceCómo se mantienen y financian los activos declarados en el período seleccionado.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Composición de activosFinanciado por
Activos totales136,9 mil M US$Efectivo14,6 mil M US$Activos corrientes43,5 mil M US$Pasivos totales84,2 mil M US$Pasivos corrientes28,3 mil M US$Patrimonio neto52,7 mil M US$
Datos del desglose del balance
Activos totales
136.866.000.000 US$
Efectivo
14.565.000.000 US$
Activos corrientes
43.516.000.000 US$
Pasivos totales
84.204.000.000 US$
Pasivos corrientes
28.327.000.000 US$
Patrimonio neto
52.662.000.000 US$
Puente de flujo de cajaCómo el flujo de caja operativo se convirtió en flujo de caja libre en FY2025.
StockMarketAgent.AI
Conciliación del flujo operativo
Beneficio neto18,3 mil M US$Depreciación y amortización+5838 M US$Compensación basada en acciones+820 M US$Otros ajustes operativos−8440 M US$Flujo de caja operativo16,5 mil M US$
Conciliación del efectivo inicial al final
Efectivo inicial13,3 mil M US$Flujo de caja operativo+16,5 mil M US$Flujo de inversión−13,7 mil M US$Flujo de financiación−1922 M US$Efecto del tipo de cambio+563 M US$Efectivo final14,7 mil M US$
16,5 mil M US$ − 4112 M US$Flujo de caja libre 12,4 mil M US$
Datos del puente de flujo de caja
Beneficio neto
18.254.000.000 US$
Entrada operativa
24.912.000.000 US$
Depreciación y amortización
5.838.000.000 US$
Compensación basada en acciones
820.000.000 US$
Flujo de caja operativo
16.472.000.000 US$
Salida operativa
8.440.000.000 US$
Efectivo disponible
30.353.000.000 US$
Efectivo inicial
13.318.000.000 US$
Efecto del tipo de cambio
563.000.000 US$
Salida de inversión
13.741.000.000 US$
Capex
4.112.000.000 US$
Otras actividades de inversión
9.629.000.000 US$
Salida de financiación
1.922.000.000 US$
Emisión neta de deuda
11.377.000.000 US$
Recompras de acciones
5.084.000.000 US$
Dividendos pagados
8.176.000.000 US$
Otras actividades de financiación
39.000.000 US$
Efectivo final
14.690.000.000 US$
Flujo de inversión
-13.741.000.000 US$
Flujo de financiación
-1.922.000.000 US$
Ingresos y beneficiosCómo la escala del negocio se convierte en beneficio declarado.
Efectivo y deudaLiquidez disponible frente al endeudamiento total.
Generación de efectivoFlujo de caja operativo frente al flujo de caja libre.
RentabilidadEvolución de los márgenes bruto, operativo y neto.
Datos financieros puntuales utilizados en el análisis del 2026-09-08.
Datos del historial financiero
Período
Ingresos
EBITDA
Beneficio neto
Flujo de caja operativo
Flujo de caja libre
Capex
Depreciación y amortización
Compensación basada en acciones
Recompras de acciones
Dividendos pagados
Emisión neta de deuda
Flujo de inversión
Flujo de financiación
Efectivo inicial
Efectivo final
Efectivo e inversiones
Deuda total
Margen operativo
ROIC
WACC
Diferencial ROIC−WACC
2016-12-31
39,8 mil M US$
10,8 mil M US$
3920 M US$
10,4 mil M US$
8762 M US$
1614 M US$
5471 M US$
300 M US$
3434 M US$
5124 M US$
—
-3210 M US$
-9044 M US$
—
6515 M US$
14,3 mil M US$
24,8 mil M US$
13,8 %
—
5,5 %
—
2017-12-31
40,1 mil M US$
12 mil M US$
2394 M US$
6451 M US$
4563 M US$
1888 M US$
4676 M US$
312 M US$
4014 M US$
5167 M US$
—
2679 M US$
-10 mil M US$
6515 M US$
6096 M US$
8498 M US$
24,4 mil M US$
16,9 %
—
5,2 %
—
2018-12-31
42,3 mil M US$
14 mil M US$
6220 M US$
10,9 mil M US$
8307 M US$
2615 M US$
4519 M US$
348 M US$
9091 M US$
5172 M US$
—
4314 M US$
-13,2 mil M US$
6096 M US$
7967 M US$
8864 M US$
25,1 mil M US$
21,1 %
—
5,9 %
—
2019-12-31
39,1 mil M US$
11,4 mil M US$
9843 M US$
13,4 mil M US$
10,1 mil M US$
3369 M US$
3652 M US$
388 M US$
4780 M US$
5695 M US$
—
-2629 M US$
-8861 M US$
7967 M US$
9934 M US$
10,5 mil M US$
27,4 mil M US$
20,3 %
—
5,1 %
—
2020-12-31
41,5 mil M US$
10,2 mil M US$
7067 M US$
10,3 mil M US$
5824 M US$
4429 M US$
3625 M US$
441 M US$
1281 M US$
6215 M US$
—
-9443 M US$
-2832 M US$
9934 M US$
8153 M US$
8051 M US$
33,4 mil M US$
13,4 %
—
3,5 %
—
2021-12-31
48,7 mil M US$
17,9 mil M US$
13 mil M US$
14,1 mil M US$
9661 M US$
4448 M US$
3214 M US$
479 M US$
840 M US$
6610 M US$
—
-16,6 mil M US$
2593 M US$
8153 M US$
8167 M US$
8096 M US$
34,6 mil M US$
27,1 %
—
4,2 %
—
2022-12-31
59,3 mil M US$
21,3 mil M US$
14,5 mil M US$
19,1 mil M US$
14,7 mil M US$
4388 M US$
3909 M US$
541 M US$
0 US$
7012 M US$
-2251 M US$
-4960 M US$
-9119 M US$
8167 M US$
12,8 mil M US$
13,2 mil M US$
32 mil M US$
30,8 %
—
6,4 %
—
2023-12-31
60,1 mil M US$
6907 M US$
365 M US$
13 mil M US$
9143 M US$
3863 M US$
3872 M US$
645 M US$
1346 M US$
7445 M US$
4184 M US$
-14,1 mil M US$
-4810 M US$
12,8 mil M US$
6909 M US$
7093 M US$
36,3 mil M US$
4,9 %
—
6,1 %
—
2024-12-31
64,2 mil M US$
25,7 mil M US$
17,1 mil M US$
21,5 mil M US$
18,1 mil M US$
3372 M US$
4499 M US$
761 M US$
1306 M US$
7840 M US$
2309 M US$
-7734 M US$
-7032 M US$
6909 M US$
13,3 mil M US$
13,7 mil M US$
38,3 mil M US$
31,5 %
—
6,9 %
—
2025-12-31
65 mil M US$
28,3 mil M US$
18,3 mil M US$
16,5 mil M US$
12,4 mil M US$
4112 M US$
5838 M US$
820 M US$
5084 M US$
8176 M US$
11,4 mil M US$
-13,7 mil M US$
-1922 M US$
13,3 mil M US$
14,7 mil M US$
14,6 mil M US$
50,5 mil M US$
36,1 %
—
6,4 %
—
§9 Comparación de valoración con pares
Valor razonableReport-date price
Merck & Co., Inc.MRK
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable141,37 US$Report-date price150,33 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNone
Cuadro de mando de inversión52 / 100
AbbVie Inc.ABBV
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable180,11 US$Report-date price256,46 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNone
Cuadro de mando de inversión52 / 100
Pfizer Inc.PFE
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable25,83 US$Report-date price28,67 US$
Fecha de evaluación
Ventaja competitivaNarrow
Cuadro de mando de inversión58 / 100
Merck & Co., Inc.MRK
Precio / valor razonable
Valor razonable141,37 US$Report-date price150,33 US$
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) trades at 15.7x forward earnings against a peer median of 12.5x. Its EV/EBITDA of 14.5x compares with a peer median of 11.8x. The comparison uses 4 peers: AbbVie Inc., Pfizer Inc., Gilead Sciences Inc. and Sanofi, as of 2026-07-26 to 2026-09-08.
§10 Industria y cicloEN
Fase del ciclo
Contraction
The pharmaceutical industry benchmark shows capital spending at 1.1% of revenue and 0.8 times depreciation, as of and retrieved 2026-09-01.
Ciclo alcista
A favorable demand cycle would appear if Merck reaches its dated FY2027 revenue forecast and peers maintain growth without forcing pricing concessions.
Ciclo bajista
A weaker cycle would combine slower issuer growth with peer outgrowth and lower valuation benchmarks, pressuring sales, margins and the value assigned to future earnings.
Tendencias seculares
Tendencia
Impacto
Nota
Low-single-digit issuer growth
neutral
Dated annual forecasts support expansion through FY2027, but later growth depends on extrapolation rather than another dated demand anchor.
Broad-pharma growth dispersion
negative
Comparable revenue growth ranges from 2.6% to 10.2%, increasing execution and valuation pressure on a slower-growing issuer.
Posicionamiento
Merck is positioned for moderate recovery rather than industry-leading growth. Sustained margins and cash-funded shareholder returns must offset faster peer growth.1
§11 Gestión de posiciónEN
Tamaño de posición
No new target percentage is prescribed; maintain the existing allocation. The report-date price of $150.33 is above Fair value of $141.37, while the valuation range remains wide.3
Riesgo
Keep exposure unchanged unless valuation improves and the earnings floor holds. Reduce on either the EPS or cash-funding breach.
Tramos de entrada
Nivel
Acción
Por qué
At or below Fair value, with FY2027 diluted EPS remaining at or above $8.41
Reassess the Hold; do not add automatically.
A lower valuation must coincide with evidence that the earnings floor and cash funding remain intact.
Not every cited input appears here: internal calculations and intermediate model outputs have no external record, and some citations could not be matched to one.
If the forward price-to-earnings ratio falls below 12.8 times within 24 months, investors would pay less for each dollar of expected earnings.
FV impact
-4%
Terminal multiple 20% lower
Trigger
Within 24 months
Stagnation would stop the operating base from expanding, limiting fixed-cost absorption and weakening later profit, cash generation and value per share.
Actual:FY2027 analyst revenue mean of $70.30 billion, as of and retrieved 2026-09-08.
Alerta siFY2028–FY2030 average consolidated revenue growth below 0%.
03
Cash backing per profit dollar
Lower cash backing for reported profit would weaken dividend coverage, debt reduction and the ability of earnings to fund shareholder returns.
Actual:FY2025 produced $0.90 of operating cash for each $1.00 of reported profit.
Alerta siBelow $0.80 within 12 months.
04
Forward earnings valuation
Compression would reduce what investors pay for each dollar of expected profit, even if the business still posts modest revenue growth.
Actual:15.72 times next-twelve-month earnings as of and retrieved 2026-09-08.
Alerta siBelow 12.8 times within 24 months.
05
Debt relative to cash
Persistently high debt would redirect cash toward interest and repayment, leaving less for dividends, repurchases and future per-share growth.
Actual:FY2025 debt was $50.53 billion and cash was $14.57 billion; both were retrieved 2026-09-08.
Alerta siFY2027 debt remains at or above the FY2025 level while cash generation weakens.
Limitation: Terminal value is 67.7% of this model's value, above the 60% level at which the methodology flags concentration; the value leans on the years beyond the explicit forecast.
Limitation: Terminal value is 81% of this model's value, above the 60% level at which the methodology flags concentration; the value leans on the years beyond the explicit forecast.
Cash continues funding distributions without additional leverage.3
Upside persists if growth and margins last beyond the rebound. It fades if stronger results require more investment or debt than operating cash can fund.
Por qué importa
The rebound must establish a durable earnings base.1