Merck & Co., Inc.
MRK · Healthcare · $324.1B mkt cap · FY2025 filings · Wide moat ·
On the watchlist
The five investor questions
2021–2025 (latest 5 aligned FYs; v3 window cap 5): revenue $48.7B to $65.0B, increasing; diluted EPS 5.14 to 7.28, increasing.
Median gross margin 70.0% over 10y, very stable.
Not enough years of ROIC data to score returns on capital.
Net debt/EBITDA 1.2x, interest coverage 17x.
Owner earnings changed +11.1%/yr over up to the ten most recent annual observations.
The returnsOnCapital component abstained: Not enough years of ROIC data to score returns on capital. The other four 20% weights were renormalized over the scored 80%.
Price vs. value if growth stopped today
A cautious baseline, not a price target: what the shares may support if normalized owner earnings simply hold steady.
- $14.5B
- $65.25
- $105.70
- $131.07
- 101% above value if growth stopped today
What today’s price assumes: owner earnings growing ~15%/yr over 5 years. The zero-growth estimate assumes owner earnings stay flat (0% growth).
How to read this
We solve for the constant annual change in owner earnings that would make the five-year zero-growth estimate equal today’s price. This keeps the existing model inputs and calculation unchanged; it is an expectations lens, not a forecast.
This zero-growth estimate assumes trailing owner earnings persist — unreliable for declining businesses. Flag status unavailable — four adjacent recent FY revenue observations are required.
Among the current top-score group, the median current price is 239% above the zero-growth estimate across 48 of the current top 50 companies by Moat Score with both values.
Score records captured Jul 26, 2026.
Exactly which 50 companies?
FTNT, META, MEDP, IBEX, MSFT, GOOGL, LULU, ANF, IDXX, TXRH, FHI, QLYS, FFIV, ADBE, LLY, MANH, VEEV, GRMN, SSD, MNST, DOCS, MCO, CPRT, NTAP, LRCX, NVDA, CORT, SFM, MPTI, ULTA, SN, RMD, ROL, PAYC, IRMD, INTU, DECK, MORN, LGCY, DAL, GWW, ISRG, MPWR, CTAS, LOPE, MRK, CMG, FAST, BKNG, ORLY
Missing a usable price or zero-growth estimate: ANF, BKNG.
Model details under moat-index@3.0.0: zero-growth multiple 11.1×, capped-growth comparison at no more than 18×; 9% discount rate; high-end growth 4% (capped at 4%) using min(5y revenue CAGR, 5y diluted-EPS CAGR), clamped to 0%–4%; maintenance capex uses min(capex, D&A); abstain when D&A is unavailable. This is a disclosed model range, not intrinsic value as fact.
Fundamentals
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Visual explainers
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Moat Score history
Score history begins Jul 26, 2026 — the record builds forward from here.
Tier changesSame-methodology and same-normalizer crossings of the Wide / Narrow / Shallow bars
- Normalizer upgraded unstamped (version unknown)tomoat-xbrl-normalizer@1.1.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 26, 2026
- Methodology upgraded moat-index@2.0.0tomoat-index@3.0.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 23, 2026
- Methodology upgraded moat-index@1.2.0tomoat-index@2.0.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 20, 2026
- Methodology upgraded moat-index@1.1.0tomoat-index@1.2.0 — readings across versions aren’t comparedJul 17, 2026
Scores are logged append-only and never overwritten — this record cannot be reconstructed retroactively, which is exactly why it’s worth keeping.
Insider activity
Form 4 reports mix P/S market or private transactions with compensation-plan mechanics. Activity casually described as “insider selling” can include compensation mechanics; awards, tax withholding, and option exercises are shown by their exact filed class here, never collapsed into “Bought” or “Sold.”
These are disclosed filing facts and arithmetic aggregates, not a signal or verdict.
The insider-filing service is temporarily unavailable, so no partial or guessed answer is shown for MRK.
Healthcare context
#8 of 728 scored Healthcare companies, ranked by Moat Score.
Nearest peers by Moat Score
- #6IRMD IRADIMED CORPORATION90.6 out of 100, Wide moatWide moat
- #7ISRG Intuitive Surgical, Inc.89.8 out of 100, Wide moatWide moat
- #9ZTS Zoetis Inc.88.9 out of 100, Wide moatWide moat
- #10ALGN ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.88.0 out of 100, Wide moatWide moat
Compare MRK with its nearest peers →All Healthcare companies on the Index →
Common questions about MRK
- Does Merck & Co., Inc. have an economic moat?
- Based on its FY2025 SEC filings, the Moat Index scores Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) 89.2 out of 100 — a Wide moat. The five questions behind that score begin at 20% each; if exactly one genuinely lacks data, the other four weights are renormalized and disclosed. revenue and EPS trend 88, pricing power 98, returns on capital not measurable from the filings, balance-sheet safety 74, capital allocation 97.
- Is MRK trading below the conservative owner-earnings estimate?
- The value if growth stopped today — a zero-growth baseline — is $65.25 per share. It capitalizes normalized owner earnings at a 9% rate and assumes 0% growth. Versus a recent price of $131.07, that is 101% above value if growth stopped today. The model also publishes a capped-growth comparison, but the zero-growth estimate is the cautious baseline. It assumes trailing owner earnings persist and is unreliable for declining businesses. This is an educational estimate from primary SEC filings, not intrinsic value as a fact or investment advice.
- How has MRK's Moat Score changed over time?
- The record logs 19 readings since Jul 17, 2026; the latest reads 89.2 out of 100 (wide moat). No tier changes on record yet. (Methodology or normalizer upgrades on Jul 17, 2026, Jul 20, 2026, Jul 23, 2026, Jul 26, 2026 re-based the score; readings across versions aren't compared.) The history is append-only — readings are only ever added, never rewritten.