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 2026-07-20.
Marriott International, Inc. · Consumer Cyclical
$366.24
-3.4% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
VS
Merck & Co., Inc. · Healthcare
$113.87
-12.1% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MAR has more upside to fair value
(-3.4%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MAR |
MRK |
| Current Price |
$366.24 |
$113.87 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$353.64 |
$100.14 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-3.4%
|
-12.1%
|
| Market Cap |
$96.6B |
$281.2B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
32.0x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
23.8x
|
17.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
3.7x
|
4.3x
|
| Price / FCF |
31.6x
|
19.9x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+6.2%
|
+4.3%
|
| Gross Margin |
21.4%
|
75.9%
|
| Operating Margin |
16.0%
|
27.6%
|
| Return on Equity |
-74.1%
|
17.9%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.75% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.17%
|
5.02%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Hold
|
Hold
|
Investment Thesis
Marriott International is a global asset-light hotel franchisor, manager and licensor whose high-quality brands, nearly 283 million Bonvoy members, more than 9,900 properties across 146 countries and record 4,107-property development pipeline create meaningful network, distribution and brand advantages. Q1 2026 demonstrated resilient underlying fee economics: adjusted revenue excluding cost-reimb…
Merck & Co., Inc. is a leading global healthcare company specializing in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and animal health products. Its business quality is high, supported by a durable competitive moat anchored in the dominant global position of Keytruda in PD-1/PD-L1 oncology, a strong vaccines portfolio including Gardasil, and scale in R&D and manufacturing. The company benefits from a seasoned lea…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MAR |
MRK |
| Zone Low |
$265.23 |
$75.11 |
| Zone High |
$300.59 |
$85.12 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|