Is ELV or MRK cheaper?

On trailing earnings, ELV is cheaper: ELV trades at a 17.19 P/E and MRK at 33.54.

Which has grown faster, ELV or MRK?

Over the past five years, ELV grew revenue faster — ELV at a 9.97% CAGR versus MRK at 8.60%.

Does ELV or MRK pay a bigger dividend?

ELV yields 1.70% and MRK yields 2.79% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is ELV or MRK more profitable?

MRK runs the higher net margin — ELV at 2.62% versus MRK at 13.62%.

Which has been the better investment, ELV or MRK?

Over the past 10-year, ELV delivered the higher annualized total return — ELV at 13.43% versus MRK at 11.57%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Elevance Health Inc. (ELV) vs Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)

MRK leads on 11 of 17 compared metrics, though ELV is the cheaper stock.

A side-by-side comparison of Elevance Health Inc. and Merck & Co., Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 13, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

Total return — ELV vs MRK

growth of $100 · last 25y

ELV +1875.9%MRK +92.8%ELV compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

ELV MRK

ELV vs MRK: by the numbers

•MRK is the larger company ($294.03B vs $87.75B market cap).
•ELV trades at the lower earnings multiple (17.19 vs 33.54 P/E).
•MRK converts more revenue to profit (13.62% vs 2.62% net margin).
•ELV grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.97% vs 8.60% CAGR).
•MRK pays the higher dividend yield (2.79% vs 1.70%).

Which is better, ELV or MRK?

Metric tally: ELV 6 · MRK 11

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueELV(lower P/E)

GrowthELV(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeMRK(higher dividend yield)

QualityMRK(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	ELV	MRK
P/E ratio	17.19●	33.54
Forward P/E	13.82	12.35●
P/S ratio	0.44●	4.49
P/B ratio	2.03●	6.41
PEG ratio	2.58	1.81●
EV / EBITDA	12.48●	19.58
FCF yield	7.24%●	4.80%

Profitability

Metric	ELV	MRK
Gross margin	23.16%	75.91%●
Operating margin	3.81%	27.59%●
Net margin	2.62%	13.62%●
ROE	11.94%	19.48%●
ROIC	6.65%	18.27%●

Dividends

Metric	ELV	MRK
Dividend yield	1.70%	2.79%●
Payout ratio	27.24%	45.48%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	ELV	MRK
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.97%●	8.60%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	6.67%	21.21%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-7.76%	15.69%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	2.50%	12.79%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, ELV or MRK?: It depends on your goal. value: ELV (lower P/E); growth: ELV (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: MRK (higher dividend yield); quality: MRK (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, MRK leads 11 to 6.
Is ELV or MRK cheaper?: On trailing earnings, ELV is cheaper: ELV trades at a 17.19 P/E and MRK at 33.54.
Which has grown faster, ELV or MRK?: Over the past five years, ELV grew revenue faster — ELV at a 9.97% CAGR versus MRK at 8.60%.
Does ELV or MRK pay a bigger dividend?: ELV yields 1.70% and MRK yields 2.79% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is ELV or MRK more profitable?: MRK runs the higher net margin — ELV at 2.62% versus MRK at 13.62%.
Which has been the better investment, ELV or MRK?: Over the past 10-year, ELV delivered the higher annualized total return — ELV at 13.43% versus MRK at 11.57%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full ELV analysis Full MRK analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Elevance Health P/E ratio Merck & P/E ratio Elevance Health dividend yield Merck & dividend yield Elevance Health ROE Merck & ROE Elevance Health operating margin Merck & operating margin Elevance Health revenue growth Merck & revenue growth Elevance Health free cash flow Merck & free cash flow

Elevance Health & Merck & appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 13, 2026.