PFE vs MRK Stock Comparison
Pfizer Inc. vs Merck & Co., Inc.
PFE leads
PFE leads by 16 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Risk Resilience. Wall Street currently favors MRK on target upside.
Competitive: 3 of 6 evidence groups support PFE, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Pfizer Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors PFE over MRK, 64 versus 48 as of Sep 2, 2026. PFE's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and risk resilience. PFE also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors MRK. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor PFE today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. PFE lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 16 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Pfizer Inc. and Merck & Co., Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value30%69 vs 30PFE +39
- Risk Resilience15%52 vs 35PFE +17
- Quality30%54 vs 47PFE +7
- Momentum25%79 vs 79Even
3 of 6 evidence groups favor PFE. PFE’s edge is concentrated in value and risk resilience.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-01, compared against the prior scored session 2026-08-31.
Largest factor move: Momentum +1
New signals
- RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon
Largest factor move: Momentum -2
No new signals fired.
PFE's lead widened by 1 AIQ points in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — PFE and MRK both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
PFE (Pfizer Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value and risk resilience.
MRK (Merck & Co., Inc.): the counter-case, on fundamentals, technicals, analyst expectations — but at materially higher volatility, 50.9% against 22.9%.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
PFEPFE on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.
Growth
MRKMRK on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
PFEPFE on the peer-relative Value factor, by 39 points.
Momentum
EvenThe two are level on Momentum.
Lower downside
PFEPFE on Risk Resilience, by 17 points.
Analyst upside
MRKMRK on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors PFE, analyst targets favor MRK. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | PFE | MRK | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | -2.9% | -1.9% | MRK has more room |
| Target dispersion | +17.7% | +50.4% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Hold | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 6 | 15 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor PFE. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | PFE | 64 vs 48 |
| Fundamentals | MRKon balance | revenue growth 4% vs 2%; EPS growth -109.2% vs 68.6%; ROE 4.9% vs 6.6%; gross margin 71.3% vs 75.4%; operating margin 25.1% vs 16.7% — MRK takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | PFE | Value 69 vs 30 |
| Technicals | MRK | Price vs 50-day 12.9% vs 14.2%; vs 200-day 9.3% vs 27.5% |
| Risk Resilience | PFE | Risk Resilience 52 vs 35 |
| Analyst expectations | MRK | Target upside -2.9% vs -1.9% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of PFE and MRK and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
- The AIQ gap is wide at 16 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on PFE.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Apr 20 – Sep 1PFE lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 16 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- PFE +16
- 64 vs 48
- 7 sessions ago
- PFE +13
- 63 vs 50
- 30 sessions ago
- PFE +16
- 65 vs 49
- 90 sessions ago
- PFE +2
- 51 vs 49
The lead has not changed hands in this window.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
3 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (1.59%)
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon
4 bullish / 0 bearish
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (13.01%)
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
- Uptrend Structure Active — bullish, trend, long horizon
PFE leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +1.65%, AIQ 0 points).
Price is up while the AIQ Score moved down 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price +1.19%, AIQ -1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1MRK closes the Value gap — currently 39 points behind, the largest single contributor to PFE's edge.
- 2MRK's existing bullish trend signals translate into factor-score gains — the rules are already firing, but the scores have not yet followed.
- 3PFE's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
MRK leads on balance| Metric | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 4% | 2% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | -109.2% | 68.6% |
| Gross margin | 71.3% | 75.4% |
| Operating margin | 25.1% | 16.7% |
| Return on equity | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| Debt to equity | 0.74 | 1.29 |
Technicals
MRK has the stronger structure| Metric | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 74.5 | 68.4 |
| ADX (14) | 44.9 | 41.9 |
| Price vs 50-day | 12.9% | 14.2% |
| Price vs 200-day | 9.3% | 27.5% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 22.9% | 50.9% |
Risk
PFE is the more resilient| Metric | PFE | MRK |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.31 | 0.14 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.55 | 1.92 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.97 | 3.95 |
| Max drawdown | -17.1% | -11.9% |
| Current drawdown | -0.1% | -4.2% |
| Annualized volatility | 23.9% | 30.6% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -2.2% | -2.4% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, PFE or MRK?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, PFE is the stronger of the two as of Sep 2, 2026, scoring 64 against MRK's 48. The edge comes from value and risk resilience. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is PFE or MRK the better buy right now?
PFE carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 2, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
Why does the AIQ Score favor PFE over MRK?
The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. PFE leads Value by 39 points; PFE leads Risk Resilience by 17 points; PFE leads Quality by 7 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, PFE or MRK?
Analyst price targets imply -2.9% upside for PFE and -1.9% for MRK, so the Street currently favors MRK. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors PFE. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, PFE or MRK?
PFE is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. PFE on the peer-relative Value factor, by 39 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, PFE or MRK?
MRK on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, PFE or MRK?
The two are level on Momentum. Momentum carries 25% of the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, PFE or MRK?
PFE is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. PFE on Risk Resilience, by 17 points. The Risk Resilience factor weights 15% of the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is PFE more profitable than MRK?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 71.3% vs 75.4%; operating margin 25.1% vs 16.7%; roe 4.9% vs 6.6%. PFE leads on one measure and MRK on two measures, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is PFE's lead over MRK getting stronger or weaker?
PFE lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 16 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-04-20 and 2026-09-01. The lead has not changed hands in that window.
What would change the PFE vs MRK verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: MRK closes the Value gap — currently 39 points behind, the largest single contributor to PFE's edge; MRK's existing bullish trend signals translate into factor-score gains — the rules are already firing, but the scores have not yet followed; PFE's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about PFE and MRK?
PFE: 3 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. MRK: 4 bullish / 0 bearish. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on PFE is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On MRK it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare PFE and MRK with others
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality (30%), Value (30%), Momentum (25%) and Risk (15%). Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.