Compare Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) vs Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW) Price & Performance
Price performance (Past 24H)
Key statistics
Key statistics
Merck & Co., Inc. vs Palo Alto Networks Inc — how do they compare? Merck & Co., Inc. trades at $146.22 (market cap $351.28B), while Palo Alto Networks Inc trades at $417.6 (market cap $331.76B). The key difference: Merck & Co., Inc. and Palo Alto Networks Inc are close in size by market cap, and Merck & Co., Inc. pays a 2.39% dividend while Palo Alto Networks Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Merck & Co., Inc. for 98 Days and Palo Alto Networks Inc for 82 Days on average.
| MRK | PANW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $351.28B | $331.76B |
Volume | 7,969,665 | 3,886,927 |
Sector | Health | Technology |
52-Week High | $156.43 | $419.91 |
52-Week Low | $82.49 | $141.67 |
Typical Hold Time | 98 Days | 82 Days |
Enterprise Value | $398.04B | $331.19B |
Dividend Yield | 2.39% | — |
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Merck (MRK) trades at $144.96, up 1.52% today, with a bearish technical signal despite recent earnings beats. The stock shows strong profitability with a 72.97% gross margin and 28.07% net income margin for 2025, though its P/E ratio of 113.9 indicates high valuation. Recent news highlights Merck's acquisition of Terns Pharmaceuticals to bolster its oncology pipeline, reflecting strategic growth initiatives amid competitive pressures.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is bullish with a $158.78 price target, but technical indicators and a high P/E suggest near-term caution. Key risks include integration challenges from acquisitions and macroeconomic headwinds affecting pharmaceutical R&D investment. Revenue growth and pipeline execution remain critical for sustained upside.
Palo Alto Networks (PANW) trades at $414.27, up 2.19% today and near its 52-week high, with strong technical momentum and bullish moving average signals. The company has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters, with Q3 2026 results pending. Revenue growth remains robust, climbing from $5.5B in 2022 to $9.2B in 2025, though net income margins have compressed from 32.1% to 2.67% as the company invests heavily in AI-driven security platforms.
The outlook remains positive given strong AI cybersecurity demand and platformization strategy, but premium valuations (P/E 1,013.93, P/S 26.99) and rising costs present risks. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 72% buy ratings and a $398.70 price target, though current price exceeds the target, suggesting near-term caution may be warranted despite long-term growth potential.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Investor sentiment on Pluang
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Investor sentiment on Pluang
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
About Merck & Co., Inc.
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 →About Palo Alto Networks Inc
Palo Alto Networks is a pure-play cybersecurity vendor that sells security appliances, subscriptions, and support into enterprises, government entities, and service providers. The company's product portfolio includes firewall appliances, virtual firewalls, endpoint protection, cloud security, and cybersecurity analytics. The Santa Clara, California, firm was established in 2005 and sells its products worldwide.
Read more on PANW →
