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 2026-05-20.
Marriott International, Inc. · Consumer Cyclical
$359.06
-45.0% upside to fair value
Grade D
VS
Merck & Co., Inc. · Healthcare
$114.27
+3.3% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MRK has more upside to fair value
(+3.3%).
MRK trades at a lower forward P/E
(22.4x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
MAR |
MRK |
| Current Price |
$359.06 |
$114.27 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$197.48 |
$118.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-45.0%
|
+3.3%
|
| Market Cap |
$95.2B |
$282.2B |
| Forward P/E |
37.7x
|
22.4x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
29.5x
|
13.5x
|
| Price / Sales |
4.4x
|
4.3x
|
| Price / FCF |
29.3x
|
20.2x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
-71.1%
|
+5.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
6.0%
|
81.9%
|
| Operating Margin |
19.6%
|
27.5%
|
| Return on Equity |
-78.5%
|
5.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
2.91% |
| FCF Yield |
3.41%
|
4.95%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Hold
|
Overweight
|
Investment Thesis
Marriott International operates a global fee-driven, asset-light hotel business with a portfolio of over 30 brands and a strong competitive position in the travel lodging industry. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat supported by its brand strength, extensive network, and recurring franchise and management fees. However, recent financials show significant headwinds with a 71.1% y…
Merck delivered a clean Q1 2026 operational beat on April 30, with revenue of 16.3 billion dollars growing 5 percent year over year and Keytruda sales rising 12 percent to 8.0 billion dollars. The reported loss of 1.28 dollars per share, though better than the negative 1.47 dollar consensus estimate, reflected a 3.62 dollar per share IPR and D charge tied to the Cidara Therapeutics acquisition an…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
MAR |
MRK |
| Zone Low |
$148.11 |
$88.50 |
| Zone High |
$167.86 |
$100.30 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|