Sifting through countless of stocks in the Pharmaceuticals industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. The company offers products for oncology, hematology, immunology, cardiovascular, and neuroscience indications. Its products include Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Opdivo Qvantig, a subcutaneous PD-1 inhibitor for solid tumors; Orencia for active rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis; Yervoy for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Reblozyl to treat anemia; Breyanzi for the treatment of relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Opdualag to treat unresectable or metastatic melanoma; and Camzyos for the treatment of symptomatic obstructive HCM. The company also offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Abecma for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma; Sotyktu to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis; Krazati for the treatment of KRASG12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and Cobenfy to treat schizophrenia. In addition, it offers Eliquis for the reduction of risk of stroke/systemic embolism and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for multiple myeloma; Pomalyst/Imnovid for multiple myeloma; Sprycel for Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; and Abraxane to treat breast cancer. Further, the company provides Augtyro for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic ROS1-positive NSCLC, as well as NSCLC and pancreatic cancer. It sells its products to wholesalers, distributors, specialty pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company has a strategic collaboration with Arcus Biosciences, Inc. to develop a treatment regimen that delivers tumor control in kidney cancer. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey.

Merck & Co., Inc. operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It offers human health pharmaceutical for various areas under the Keytruda, Keytruda Qlex, Welireg, Gardasil, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, Vaxneuvance, Capvaxive, RotaTeq, Pneumovax 23, Bridion, Prevymis, Dificid, Zerbaxa, Winrevair, Adempas/ Verquvo, Ohtuvayre, Lagevrio, Isentress/Isentress HD, Delstrigo, Pifeltro, Belsomra, Januvia, and Janumet brands. The company also provides veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines and health management solutions and services, such as livestock products under the Nuflor, Bovilis/Vista, Bovilis Cryptium, Banamine, Estrumate, Matrix, Resflor, Zuprevo, Revalor, Safe-Guard, M+Pac, Porcilis, Circumvent, Nobilis/Innovax, Paracox and Coccivac, Exzolt, Slice, Imvixa, Clynav, Aquavac/Norvax, Aquaflor, Flexolt brands; Allflex Livestock Intelligence solutions; and companion animal products under the Bravecto One-Month, Bravecto Injectable/Quantum, Bravecto TriUNO, Bravecto Plus, Sentinel Spectrum, Sentinel Flavor Tabs, Numelvi, Optimmune, Nobivac NXT, GilvetMab, Otomax, Mometamax, Mometamax Ultra, Posatex, Caninsulin/Vetsulin, Panacur, Safeguard, Regumate, Prestige, Scalibor/Exspot, Sure Petcare, and Home Again brands. It has development and commercialization agreement for three of Daiichi Sankyo’s deruxtecan ADC candidates; AstraZeneca PLC to co-development and co-commercialize AstraZeneca’s Lynparza products for multiple cancer types; licensed to develop, manufacture and commercialize LM-299, a novel investigational PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody from LaNova; and collaboration agreement with Eisai Co., Ltd., Bayer AG, and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, as well Moderna, Inc. Merck & Co., Inc. has strategic collaboration with Infinimmune, Inc. to discover and develop antibodies against multiple therapeutic targets. The company was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey.

Latest Pharmaceuticals and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co., Inc. Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company had a $138.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Pharmaceuticals median of $674.0 million. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company’s stock is up 25.3% in 2026, up 0.9% in the previous five trading days and up 42.71% in the past year.

Currently, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company’s price-earnings ratio is 14.9. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $49.2 billion with a 18.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 5.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $6.949 per share for the current fiscal year. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company currently has a 3.7% dividend yield.

As of September 2, 2026, Merck & Co., Inc. had a $374.1 billion market cap, putting it in the 99th percentile of all stocks. Merck & Co., Inc.’s stock is up 43% in 2026, up 0.6% in the previous five trading days and up 77.4% in the past year.

Currently, Merck & Co., Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 119.1. Merck & Co., Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $66.6 billion with a 4.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 5.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.747 per share for the current fiscal year. Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a 2.2% dividend yield.

How We Compare Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company	BMY	C
Merck & Co., Inc.	MRK	F

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has a Value Score of 51, which is Average. Merck & Co., Inc. has a Value Score of 19, which is Ultra Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. or Inc. has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to value.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company	BMY	C
Merck & Co., Inc.	MRK	A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has a Growth Score of 43, which is Average. Merck & Co., Inc. has a Growth Score of 100, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Merck & Co., Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Merck & Co., Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Merck & Co., Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company	BMY	B
Merck & Co., Inc.	MRK	A

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has a Momentum Score of 78, which is Strong. Merck & Co., Inc. has a Momentum Score of 87, which is Very Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Merck & Co., Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Merck & Co., Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Merck & Co., Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc. Grades

In addition to Momentum, Value and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Estimate Revisions and Quality.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company stock has a Value Score of 51, Growth Score of 43 and Momentum Score of 78.

Merck & Co., Inc. stock has a Value Score of 19, Growth Score of 100 and Momentum Score of 87.

Comparing Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Merck & Co. and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.