Merck & Co., Inc. vs Nasdaq Inc — how do they compare? Merck & Co., Inc. trades at $148 (market cap $363.98B), while Nasdaq Inc trades at $94.69 (market cap $52.67B). The key difference: Merck & Co., Inc. is far larger — about 6.9× Nasdaq Inc's market cap, and Merck & Co., Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.3%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MRK | NDAQ | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $363.98B | $52.67B |
Sector | Health | Financials |
52-Week High | $156.43 | $100.98 |
52-Week Low | $77.60 | $76.85 |
Enterprise Value | $410.75B | $59.12B |
Dividend Yield | 2.3% | 1.23% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
MRK trades at $148.49, down 1.23% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and support near $147. The company reported strong earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q3 2026 EPS expected at $2.22. Revenue reached $65.01B in 2025, and the acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals aims to bolster its oncology pipeline.
Outlook remains positive with a consensus price target of $157, offering ~6% upside. Risks include high P/E of 118.77 and competitive pressures in pharma. Institutional buying and a 67.57% buy rating from analysts support a constructive view, though net income margin of 4.77% warrants monitoring.
Nasdaq (NDAQ) trades at $95.04, down 1.9% on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages but bearish oscillators. The company reported strong earnings beats in recent quarters, with Q2 2026 EPS of $1.07 exceeding the $0.984 estimate. Revenue grew to $8.26B in 2025, and net income margin improved to 22.52%. Recent news highlights strategic acquisitions like Dasseti to enhance AI capabilities.
The outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $109.20, implying 15% upside. Key opportunities include continued earnings growth and expansion in data-driven investment technology. Risks involve market volatility and execution of acquisition integration. Analyst sentiment is bullish with 61% buy ratings.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Merck makes pharmaceutical products to treat several conditions in a number of therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and infections. Within cancer, the firm's immuno-oncology platform is growing as a major contributor to overall sales. The company also has a substantial vaccine business, with treatments to prevent hepatitis B and pediatric diseases as well as HPV and shingles. Additionally, Merck sells animal health-related drugs. From a geographical perspective, just under half of the firm's sales are generated in the United States.
Read more on MRK →Founded in 1971, Nasdaq is primarily known for its equity exchange, but in addition to its market-services business (about 35% of sales), the company sells and distributes market data as well as offers Nasdaq-branded indexes to asset managers and investors through its information-services segment (30%). Nasdaq's corporate-services business (20%) offers listing services and related investor relations products to publicly traded companies and through the company's market technology group (15%), Nasdaq facilitates the exchange operations of other exchanges throughout the world and provides financial compliance services.
Read more on NDAQ →