Merck KGaAXSWX:MER +4.03%83 Altman Z-Score is 3.05 as of Jun. 29, 2026, which is 17% above its 10-year median of 2.60. GuruFocus rates XSWX:MER with a GF Score™ of 83/100 and a GF Value™ of CHF125.76. The stock has 9 warning signs investors should review. Among 949 Drug Manufacturers companies, Merck KGaA ranks worse than 52.48% on this metric.
The Altman Z-Score is a model designed to predict the likelihood of a company going bankrupt within the next two years. Created by American finance professor Edward Altman in 1968, the model is specifically designed for publicly traded manufacturing companies with assets greater than $1 million.
Good Sign:
Altman Z-score of 3.02 is strong.
Merck KGaA has a Altman Z-Score of 3.05, indicating it is in Safe Zones. This implies the Altman Z-Score is strong.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
When Altman Z-Score <= 1.8, it is in Distress Zones.
When Altman Z-Score >= 3, it is in Safe Zones.
When Altman Z-Score is between 1.8 and 3, it is in Grey Zones.
The historical rank and industry rank for Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score or its related term are showing as below:
XSWX:MER'
s Altman Z-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1.52 Med: 2.6 Max: 3.7
Current: 3.02
During the past 13 years, Merck KGaA's highest Altman Z-Score was 3.70. The lowest was 1.52. And the median was 2.60.
Merck KGaA (XSWX:MER) Altman Z-Score Explanation
X1: The Working Capital/Total Assets (WC/TA) ratio is a measure of the net liquid assets of the firm relative to the total capitalization. Working capital is defined as the difference between current assets and current liabilities. Ordinarily, a firm experiencing consistent operating losses will have shrinking current assets in relation to total assets. Altman found this one proved to be the most valuable liquidity ratio comparing with the current ratio and the quick ratio. This is however the least significant of the five factors.
X2: Retained Earnings/Total Assets: the RE/TA ratio measures the leverage of a firm. Retained earnings is the account which reports the total amount of reinvested earnings and/or losses of a firm over its entire life. Those firms with high RE, relative to TA, have financed their assets through retention of profits and have not utilized as much debt.
X3, Earnings Before Interest and Taxes/Total Assets (EBIT/TA): This ratio is a measure of the true productivity of the firm's assets, independent of any tax or leverage factors. Since a firm's ultimate existence is based on the earning power of its assets, this ratio appears to be particularly appropriate for studies dealing with corporate failure. This ratio continually outperforms other profitability measures, including cash flow.
X4, Market Value of Equity/Book Value of Total Liabilities (MVE/TL): The measure shows how much the firm's assets can decline in value (measured by market value of equity plus debt) before the liabilities exceed the assets and the firm becomes insolvent.
X5, Revenue/Total Assets (S/TA): The capital-turnover ratio is a standard financial ratio illustrating the sales generating ability of the firm's assets.
Altman Z-Score does not apply to financial companies.
Merck KGaA Altman Z-Score Related Terms
Merck KGaA Altman Z-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
XSWX:MER vs ZTS, UTHR, VTRS: Altman Z-Score Comparison
For the Drug Manufacturers - Specialty & Generic subindustry, Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Altman Z-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Merck KGaA Altman Z-Score vs Drug Manufacturers Industry
For the Drug Manufacturers industry and Healthcare sector, Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score falls into.
Altman Z-Score model is an accurate forecaster of failure up to two years prior to distress. It can be considered the assessment of the distress of industrial corporations.
Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score for today is calculated with this formula:
Z
=
1.2
*
X1
+
1.4
*
X2
+
3.3
*
X3
+
0.6
*
X4
+
1.0
*
X5
=
1.2
*
0.0907
+
1.4
*
0.4653
+
3.3
*
0.0698
+
0.6
*
2.7564
+
1.0
*
0.4031
=
3.05
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency. GuruFocus does not calculate Altman Z-Score when X4 or X5 value is 0.
Merck KGaA (XSWX:MER) has a Altman Z-Score of 3.05 as of Jun. 29, 2026. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on Merck KGaA and its competitors. This is 17% above median its historical median of 2.60. Over the past decade, Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score has ranged from 1.52 to 3.70. According to the industry distribution chart, Merck KGaA ranks #498 out of 949 companies in the Drug Manufacturers industry, placing it in the top 52.5%.
Is Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score too high?
Merck KGaA's current Altman Z-Score of 3.05 is 17% above median its 10-year median of 2.60. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.52 to a high of 3.70. The Drug Manufacturers industry median Altman Z-Score is 3.20. Merck KGaA's value of 3.05 is 4.7% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Merck KGaA ranks #498 out of 949 companies in the Drug Manufacturers industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Merck KGaA has a GF Score™ of 83/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Merck KGaA's Altman Z-Score compare to ZTS and UTHR?
According to the Drug Manufacturers industry distribution chart, Merck KGaA ranks #498 out of 949 companies for Altman Z-Score. This places Merck KGaA in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Altman Z-Score is 3.20. Merck KGaA's value of 3.05 is 4.7% below this benchmark. Historically, Merck KGaA's own Altman Z-Score has ranged from 1.52 to 3.70 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 2.60 vs. the industry median of 3.20, Merck KGaA has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Altman Z-Score for a Drug Manufacturers company?
The median Altman Z-Score among Drug Manufacturers companies is 3.20, based on 949 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Altman Z-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Altman Z-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Merck KGaA's current Altman Z-Score of 3.05 is 4.7% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Altman Z-Score mean?
A high Altman Z-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on Merck KGaA and its competitors. For the Drug Manufacturers industry, the median Altman Z-Score is 3.20 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Merck KGaA's current Altman Z-Score is 3.05, which is 17% above median its own 10-year median of 2.60. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Merck KGaA stock overvalued right now?
Merck KGaA (XSWX:MER) has a current Altman Z-Score of 3.05. The stock's GF Value™ is CHF125.76, compared to a current price of CHF130.30 — trading 3.6% above its estimated fair value. The current Altman Z-Score is 3.05, which is 17% above median its 10-year median of 2.60 and 4.7% below the Drug Manufacturers industry median of 3.20. Merck KGaA's overall GF Score™ is 83/100 with 9 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Altman Z-Score calculated?
Altman Z-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Merck KGaA (XSWX:MER), the current Altman Z-Score is 3.05 as of Jun. 29, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Merck KGaA (XSWX:MER) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Merck KGaA stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of CHF130.30 is trading 3.6% above its estimated GF Value™ of CHF125.76.
Key valuation signals for XSWX:MER:
Altman Z-Score: 3.05 (17% above median its 10-year median of 2.60)
GF Value™: CHF125.76 vs. price of CHF130.30 (3.6% above fair value)
Industry Position: 4.7% below the Drug Manufacturers median (#498 of 949)
No single metric tells the full story. See the XSWX:MER stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Merck KGaA operates in three main segments: Life Science, Electronics, and Healthcare. The Life Science segment provides laboratory consumables and instruments to researchers in academia and applied fields, including the biopharmaceutical industry. The Electronics segment offers specialty materials to manufacture a variety of products, such as semiconductors and flat-screen televisions. In the healthcare segment, Merck develops, manufactures, and sells branded pharmaceuticals with significant therapeutic concentrations in oncology, multiple sclerosis, and fertility. In 1995, the E. Merck KG family publicly sold part of the company, resulting in the current 30% public ownership of the firm.
83GF Score
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