MAR vs MRK: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Marriott International, Inc. and Merck & Co., Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-18.
Marriott International, Inc. · Consumer Cyclical
$377.93
-16.6% upside to fair value
Grade D
VS
Merck & Co., Inc. · Healthcare
$121.42
-2.9% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
QuantHub Verdict
MRK has more upside to fair value
(-2.9%).
MRK trades at a lower forward P/E
(14.0x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MAR |
MRK |
| Current Price |
$377.93 |
$121.42 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$315.15 |
$118.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-16.6%
|
-2.9%
|
| Market Cap |
$100.2B |
$300.2B |
| Forward P/E |
39.0x
|
14.0x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
25.3x
|
11.8x
|
| Price / Sales |
3.8x
|
4.1x
|
| Price / FCF |
34.6x
|
21.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+3.1%
|
+1.3%
|
| Gross Margin |
21.3%
|
81.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
15.8%
|
41.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
-79.9%
|
34.7%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
3.1% |
| FCF Yield |
2.89%
|
4.7%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Hold
|
Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Marriott International operates the world's largest hospitality portfolio with approximately 8,900 to 9,000 properties across 141 countries and over 30 brands, supported by the largest loyalty program with 203 to 210 million members. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat driven by scale, brand strength, and network effects. However, despite steady revenue growth of 3.1% year-over-y…
Merck is a top-5 global pharmaceutical company generating $65B in annual revenue with 81.5% gross margins and 28% net margins. Keytruda, the world's best-selling drug at $31.7B (49% of pharma revenue), faces patent expiry in 2028. Merck is aggressively building replacements through M&A and pipeline launches: Winrevair ($1.4B year one), Capvaxive ($759M), and the $6.7B Terns acquisition for TERN-7…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MAR |
MRK |
| Zone Low |
$236.36 |
$88.00 |
| Zone High |
$267.88 |
$100.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|