FrançaisMerck & Co. vs Pfizer: which stock to buy?
Head to head
| Metric | Merck & Co. | Pfizer | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $150 | $28.02 | |
| Median target (12m) | $150 (+0%) | $28.00 (-0%) | |
| Analyst reliability (1y) | 35% | 19% | 🟢 MRK |
| Avg gain / call (1y) | +7% | -2% | |
| P/E | 121.6 | 37.4 | 🔵 PFE |
| $1000 invested (10y ago) | $2,550 | $855 | 🟢 MRK |
Performance by year
| Year | MRK | PFE | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +22% | -13% | 🟢 MRK |
| 2025 | +6% | +5% | 🟢 MRK |
| 2024 | -9% | -0% | 🔵 PFE |
| 2023 | -2% | -35% | 🟢 MRK |
| 2022 | +45% | -14% | 🟢 MRK |
| 2021 | -2% | +40% | 🔵 PFE |
| 2020 | -10% | +6% | 🔵 PFE |
| 2019 | +19% | -23% | 🟢 MRK |
| 2018 | +36% | +19% | 🟢 MRK |
| 2017 | -4% | +6% | 🔵 PFE |
| 2016 | +11% | +15% | 🔵 PFE |
Frequently asked questions
Merck & Co. or Pfizer: which to buy?
Over ~10 years, Merck & Co. returned $2,550 on $1000 vs $855 for Pfizer, and Merck & Co. has better analyst reliability. Not advice: also check valuation (P/E) and your horizon.
Merck & Co. vs Pfizer: which performed best?
Over ~10 years, Merck & Co. wins ($2,550 vs $855 on $1000 invested, price return excluding dividends).
Merck & Co. vs Pfizer: which is cheaper?
On P/E, Pfizer is cheaper (121.6 vs 37.4). A lower P/E isn't always a better deal (growth matters).
What is JPI Invest?
JPI Invest aggregates analyst recommendations across the entire S&P 500 (plus the S&P MidCap 400), replays them against real prices and measures who predicts best — on results, not reputation. Instead of taking a price target at face value, you see each analyst's track record on each stock.
- 🏆 Analyst leaderboard by real reliability (beating their sector, not just riding the rally)
- 🎯 What to buy: 3 backtested methods over 6 years, from cautious to aggressive
- 💬 AI assistant: ask anything about any stock, with the numbers
- 📊 Portfolio tracking + 🔔 price alerts by email
⚠️ Educational information, not investment advice. Past price performance (excluding dividends). Data: Yahoo Finance.