ASML vs MRK: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of ASML Holding N.V. and Merck & Co., Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-24.
ASML Holding N.V. · Technology
$1,744.61
-0.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Merck & Co., Inc. · Healthcare
$147.17
-4.1% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
QuantHub Verdict
ASML has more upside to fair value
(-0.7%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
ASML |
MRK |
| Current Price |
$1,744.61 |
$147.17 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$1,732.49 |
$141.07 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-0.7%
|
-4.1%
|
| Market Cap |
$672.4B |
$363.5B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
42.0x
|
29.6x
|
| Price / Sales |
19.0x
|
5.5x
|
| Price / FCF |
67.2x
|
22.6x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+21.3%
|
+5.1%
|
| Gross Margin |
52.7%
|
75.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
35.4%
|
16.7%
|
| Return on Equity |
52.4%
|
6.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.51% |
2.31% |
| FCF Yield |
1.49%
|
4.42%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Buy
|
Investment Thesis
ASML Holding N.V. is the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker that supplies lithography, metrology, and inspection systems, including the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machines required to pattern the most advanced logic and memory chips, and it holds what current coverage describes as a near-monopoly on those EUV tools. The business quality is genuinely high: TTM gross margin of 52.7%, TTM operating …
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global healthcare leader with two core divisions, Pharmaceuticals and Animal Health, spanning oncology, vaccines, acute hospital care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular and diabetes, and it employs roughly 74,000 people under CEO Robert Davis. The business quality is medium: TTM gross margin of 75.4% and TTM operating margin of 16.7% reflect a genuinely hig…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
ASML |
MRK |
| Zone Low |
$1,299.37 |
$105.80 |
| Zone High |
$1,472.62 |
$119.91 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|