Merck vs Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma (MRK vs VRTX)
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 $12.0B) and market value ($369.7B vs $138.8B). Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+58.4% cumulative vs +33.5%). Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma trades at the lower trailing P/E (31.7x vs 118.0x).
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.
About Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company that develops and commercializes medicines for serious diseases, focusing on specialty markets. Its approved products treat cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, and acute pain. The company serves patients worldwide and advances clinical programs for additional diseases including kidney disorders, neuropathic pain, and type 1 diabetes.
Head to head (MRK FY2025 vs VRTX FY2025)
| Metric | MRKFY2025 | VRTXFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $65.01B | $12.00B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 1.3% | 8.9% |
| Gross margin | 74.8% | 86.2% |
| Operating margin | — | 34.8% |
| Net margin | 28.1% | 32.9% |
| Net income | $18.25B | $3.95B |
| Diluted EPS | $7.28 | $15.32 |
| FCF margin | 19.0% | 26.6% |
| ROE | 34.7% | 21.2% |
| Long-term debt / equity | 0.89× | — |
| Market cap | $369.73B | $138.81B |
| P/E | 118.0× | 31.7× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (MRK FY2025, VRTX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRK | $48.70B | $59.28B | $60.12B | $64.17B | $65.01B |
| VRTX | $7.57B | $8.93B | $9.87B | $11.02B | $12.00B |
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 | MRK | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 74.8%68th percentile of 69 | 86.2%90th percentile of 69 |
| Net margin | 28.1%82nd percentile of 122 | 32.9%88th percentile of 122 |
| FCF margin | 19.0%77th percentile of 110 | 26.6%85th percentile of 110 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +1.3%36th percentile of 187 | +8.9%49th percentile of 187 |
| ROE | 34.7%91st percentile of 167 | 21.2%86th percentile of 167 |
| P/E | 118.0×90th percentile of 60 | 31.7×69th percentile of 60 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 2.84d23rd percentile of 197 | 3.09d26th percentile of 197 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | MRK | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 24.5M | 4.1M |
| Change vs prior settlement | -13.4% | +5.2% |
| Days to cover | 2.84 | 3.09 |
| 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) | MRK | VRTX |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | 0 | 0 |
| Sells | 17 ($30.0M) | 7 ($5.4M) |
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
8 tracked 13F managers hold both Merck and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc / Ma as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Bridgewater Associates, Citadel Advisors, D. E. Shaw, Gotham Asset Management, Millennium Management, Point72 Asset Management, Two Sigma Investments. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
Go deeper
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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.