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Compare Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF (VTI) Price & Performance

Merck & Co., Inc.Trade
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETFTrade

Price performance (Past 24H)

Key statistics

Merck & Co., Inc. vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF — how do they compare? Merck & Co., Inc. trades at $146.16 (market cap $351.28B), while Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF trades at $381.86 (market cap $2.30T). The key difference: Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF is far larger — about 6.5× Merck & Co., Inc.'s market cap, and Merck & Co., Inc. pays a 2.39% dividend while Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Merck & Co., Inc. for 98 Days and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF for 131 Days on average.

MRKVTI
Market Cap
$351.28B$2.30T
Volume
7,969,6652,982,924
Sector
Health—
52-Week High
$156.43$384.30
52-Week Low
$82.49$311.68
Typical Hold Time
98 Days131 Days
Enterprise Value
$398.04B—
Dividend Yield
2.39%—

Aura AI Summary

Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice

Merck & Co., Inc.

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.

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF

VTI trades at $381.82, up 0.21% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and neutral oscillators. The ETF shows strong institutional interest and broad diversification across the U.S. stock market. Recent news highlights its long-term growth potential and cost efficiency, with a dividend scheduled for September 2026.

The outlook for VTI remains positive due to its low-cost structure and exposure to the entire U.S. equity market. Risks include concentration in top holdings and market volatility, but its historical performance supports a solid foundation for long-term investors seeking diversified growth.

Returns comparison

Trailing returns across standard periods

Investor sentiment on Pluang

What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days

MRK
60% Buy40% Sell
Avg holding period · 98 Days
VTI
75% Buy25% Sell
Avg holding period · 131 Days

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 Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF

The fund employs an indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the index, which represents approximately 100% of the investable US stock market and includes large-, mid-, small-, and micro-cap stocks. It invests by sampling the index, meaning that it holds a broadly diversified collection of securities that, in the aggregate, approximates the full index in terms of key characteristics.

Read more on VTI →