AbbVie vs Merck (ABBV vs MRK)
Side by side from their SEC filings: revenue, margins, growth, returns and valuation, plus short interest, insider activity and institutional ownership.
Merck is the larger company by revenue ($65.0B vs $61.2B). AbbVie carries the larger market value ($459.4B vs $369.7B). Merck has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+33.5% cumulative vs +8.8%). AbbVie trades at the lower trailing P/E (72.4x vs 118.0x).
About AbbVie
AbbVie Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company that researches, develops, manufactures, and markets advanced therapies for complex and serious diseases. Its product portfolio includes treatments in immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, such as Skyrizi and Rinvoq for autoimmune diseases, Botox Therapeutic and Vraylar for neurological conditions, and Imbruvica and Venclexta for blood cancers. AbbVie serves patients worldwide across North America, the European Union, Japan, and other markets.
About Merck
Merck & Co., Inc. is a pharmaceutical company that develops and sells prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. It serves healthcare providers, patients, and animal health customers worldwide. The company also collaborates with other firms to develop and commercialize various pharmaceutical products.
Head to head (ABBV FY2025 vs MRK FY2025)
| Metric | ABBVFY2025 | MRKFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $61.16B | $65.01B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 8.6% | 1.3% |
| Gross margin | 70.2% | 74.8% |
| Operating margin | 24.6% | — |
| Net margin | 6.9% | 28.1% |
| Net income | $4.23B | $18.25B |
| Diluted EPS | $2.36 | $7.28 |
| FCF margin | 29.1% | 19.0% |
| ROE | — | 34.7% |
| Long-term debt / equity | — | 0.89× |
| Market cap | $459.43B | $369.73B |
| P/E | 72.4× | 118.0× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (ABBV FY2025, MRK FY2025). ROE is net income over fiscal-year-end equity; long-term debt / equity counts non-current term debt only. P/E and market cap are derived from stored market prices, last retrieved on a rolling basis and typically within the past week.
Five-year trend (as reported)
| Revenue | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABBV | $56.20B | $58.05B | $54.32B | $56.33B | $61.16B |
| MRK | $48.70B | $59.28B | $60.12B | $64.17B | $65.01B |
Peer standing
Where each company ranks among the 198 pharmaceutical companies, on the same scale. Each figure is ranked only against peers that report it. Percentiles describe position in the distribution, not a rating.
| Metric | ABBV | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 70.2%56th percentile of 69 | 74.8%68th percentile of 69 |
| Net margin | 6.9%62nd percentile of 122 | 28.1%82nd percentile of 122 |
| FCF margin | 29.1%89th percentile of 110 | 19.0%77th percentile of 110 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +8.6%47th percentile of 187 | +1.3%36th percentile of 187 |
| P/E | 72.4×85th percentile of 60 | 118.0×90th percentile of 60 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 3.57d31st percentile of 197 | 2.84d23rd percentile of 197 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | ABBV | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 18.3M | 24.5M |
| Change vs prior settlement | -18.8% | -13.4% |
| Days to cover | 3.57 | 2.84 |
| As of settlement | 2026-08-14 | 2026-08-14 |
Source: FINRA Consolidated Short Interest. FINRA is the owner and source of the FINRA-supplied data; republishing or redistributing it is not permitted. Not presented as a percentage of float. No FINRA endorsement of this product is implied.
Insider activity (last 90 days)
| Form 4 activity (codes P/S) | ABBV | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | 0 | 0 |
| Sells | 1 ($8.2M) | 17 ($30.0M) |
Non-derivative purchases (code P) and sales (code S) reported on SEC Form 4, which may be open-market or private (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 15% of covered companies saw any reported insider purchase (code P) in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
10 tracked 13F managers hold both AbbVie and Merck as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Bridgewater Associates, Citadel Advisors, D. E. Shaw, Dodge & Cox, Gotham Asset Management, Harris Associates (Oakmark), Millennium Management, Point72 Asset Management, Two Sigma Investments. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
Go deeper
ABBV vs ABTABBV vs BMYABBV vs JNJABBV vs LLYABBV vs PFEABBV vs VRTXAll pharmaceutical stocks →All comparisons →
Track ABBV and MRK
Get an alert when either company files something material, see which superinvestors own them, and ask their filings a question with cited answers.
Start monitoring freeIncludes one free filing-grounded research answer. Or check your whole portfolio, no account needed.
Data sourced from SEC EDGAR. Figures are as-reported and may be unaudited or restated; verify against the source filings before relying on them. Comparisons are descriptive (higher or lower on a reported figure), not a rating or a recommendation. Informational only. Not investment advice.