Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Competitors

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, media sentiment, profitability, risk, dividends, earnings and institutional ownership.

Does the media favor AMGN or MRK?

In the previous week, Merck & Co., Inc. had 31 more articles in the media than Amgen. MarketBeat recorded 94 mentions for Merck & Co., Inc. and 63 mentions for Amgen. Amgen's average media sentiment score of 1.52 beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s score of 1.52 indicating that Amgen is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Amgen	57 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Merck & Co., Inc.	85 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Which has more risk and volatility, AMGN or MRK?

Amgen has a beta of 0.49, suggesting that its stock price is 51% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.37, suggesting that its stock price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is AMGN or MRK a better dividend stock?

Amgen pays an annual dividend of $9.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Merck & Co., Inc. pays an annual dividend of $3.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.0%. Amgen pays out 77.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Merck & Co., Inc. pays out 49.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Amgen has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years and Merck & Co., Inc. has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Merck & Co., Inc. is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Is AMGN or MRK more profitable?

Merck & Co., Inc. has a net margin of 25.79% compared to Amgen's net margin of 18.96%. Amgen's return on equity of 174.71% beat Merck & Co., Inc.'s return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Amgen	18.96%	174.71%	13.12%
Merck & Co., Inc.	25.79%	41.05%	16.55%

Do institutionals & insiders hold more shares of AMGN or MRK?

76.5% of Amgen shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by institutional investors. 0.8% of Amgen shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Do analysts prefer AMGN or MRK?

Amgen presently has a consensus price target of $304.43, indicating a potential upside of 7.12%. Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus price target of $106.41, indicating a potential upside of 30.69%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.'s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than Amgen.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Amgen	2 Sell rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.24
Merck & Co., Inc.	1 Sell rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Which has preferable earnings & valuation, AMGN or MRK?

Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than Amgen. Merck & Co., Inc. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Amgen, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Amgen	$33.42B	4.58	$4.09B	$12.23	23.24
Merck & Co., Inc.	$63.62B	3.20	$17.12B	$6.49	12.55

Summary

Merck & Co., Inc. beats Amgen on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.