ABVC BioPharma (NASDAQ:ABVC – Get Free Report) and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) are both healthcare companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations and dividends.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
11.4% of ABVC BioPharma shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by institutional investors. 19.0% of ABVC BioPharma shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Merck & Co., Inc. shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Risk and Volatility
ABVC BioPharma has a beta of 0.51, meaning that its stock price is 49% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Merck & Co., Inc. has a beta of 0.21, meaning that its stock price is 79% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares ABVC BioPharma and Merck & Co., Inc.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| ABVC BioPharma | N/A | -47.68% | -30.97% |
| Merck & Co., Inc. | 4.77% | 16.73% | 6.13% |
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent ratings for ABVC BioPharma and Merck & Co., Inc., as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| ABVC BioPharma | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Merck & Co., Inc. | 0 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 2.63 |
Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus price target of $151.92, indicating a potential upside of 2.52%. Given Merck & Co., Inc.’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Merck & Co., Inc. is more favorable than ABVC BioPharma.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares ABVC BioPharma and Merck & Co., Inc.”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| ABVC BioPharma | N/A | N/A | -$7.91 million | ($0.30) | -3.10 |
| Merck & Co., Inc. | $66.57 billion | 5.49 | $18.25 billion | $1.25 | 118.55 |
Merck & Co., Inc. has higher revenue and earnings than ABVC BioPharma. ABVC BioPharma is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Merck & Co., Inc., indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Summary
Merck & Co., Inc. beats ABVC BioPharma on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About ABVC BioPharma
ABVC BioPharma, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, develops drugs and medical devices to fulfill unmet medical needs in the United States. The company is developing ABV-1501, which is in Phase II clinical trials a combination therapy for triple negative breast cancer; ABV-1504 has completed Phase II clinical trials for major depressive disorders; ABV-1505, which is in Phase II clinical trials for adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; ABV-1703, which is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer; ABV-1702, which is in Phase II clinical trials to treat myelodysplastic syndromes; and ABV-1601 that is in Phase I/II clinical trials for treating depression in cancer patients. It is also developing ABV-1701 Vitargus that is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of retinal detachment or vitreous hemorrhage; and ABV-1519, which is in Phase I/II clinical trials for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. ABVC BioPharma, Inc. has a co-development agreement with Rgene Corporation; and collaboration agreements with BioHopeKing Corporation and BioFirst Corporation. The company is based in Fremont, California. ABVC BioPharma, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of YuanGene Corporation.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products. The Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets animal health products, such as pharmaceutical and vaccine products, for the prevention, treatment and control of disease in livestock, and companion animal species. The Other segment consists of sales for the non-reportable segments of healthcare services. The company was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Rahway, NJ.
Receive News & Ratings for ABVC BioPharma Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ABVC BioPharma and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
