Johnson & Johnsonvs.Merck & Co.
JNJ vs MRK · both in Big pharma, part of the Medicine, pharma & life science value chain: Large, diversified pharmaceutical groups with broad portfolios across therapeutic areas.
Johnson & Johnson is about 1.8× larger than Merck & Co. by market cap; Johnson & Johnson trades at the lower P/E (29.0 vs 109.9); year to date, Merck & Co. leads (+35.7% vs +24.9%).
Side by side
| JNJ | MRK | |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $610B | $349B |
| Price | $256.48 | $142.38 |
| Today | −0.8% | −0.3% |
| Return YTD | +24.9% | +35.7% |
| Return 1Y | +36.8% | +63.0% |
| Since June 26, 2026 | +0.7% | +10.7% |
| P/E | 29.0 | 109.9 |
| P/S | 6.2 | 5.2 |
| P/B | 7.2 | 8.3 |
Data as of 2026-10-08 · updates daily after U.S. close
Since June 26, 2026: the change in the closing price, from the daily closes Sectivia records itself since that date.
The two companies
Johnson & JohnsonJNJ
Two businesses under one name: Innovative Medicine, which covers immunology and oncology drugs, and MedTech, which makes medical devices and surgical equipment.
Full JNJ profile →Merck & Co.MRK
Keytruda is the centre of the oncology business, which sits next to a substantial vaccines portfolio. Animal health forms a third division.
Full MRK profile →More JNJ & MRK comparisons
Other head-to-heads in the Big pharma segment.