What If You Invested $1,000 in Merck & Co. (MRK)?
Enter any amount and start date. We use historical prices to show your hypothetical return.
MRK
Historical extremes
What if you bought at the best or worst time? Check max profit, max drawdown, and total return since IPO.
Max profit
+44,545%
(446.4 times)
- Buy
- Mar 27, 1978
- $0.28
- Sell
- Jun 24, 2024
- $125.35
Buying MRK at the best price and selling at the peak would have turned $1,000 into $446,450.83.
Max drawdown
68.57%
(fell to 31% of peak)
- Peak
- Dec 28, 2000
- $35.57
- Trough
- Mar 9, 2009
- $11.18
A $1,000 investment in MRK at the peak would have shrunk to $314.31 at the trough.
Return since IPO
+34,792%
(348.9 times)
- IPO
- Jan 13, 1978
- $0.32
- Current
- Apr 29, 2026
- $110.95
A $1,000 investment in MRK at IPO would be worth $348,921.32 today.
Frequently asked questions
What is Merck & Co. (MRK) stock's all-time high (ATH) and all-time low (ATL)?
- Merck & Co. (MRK) stock's all-time low (ATL) was $0.28 on Mar 27, 1978. The all-time high (ATH) was $125.35 on Jun 24, 2024.
What if you invested $1,000 in Merck & Co. (MRK) stock for maximum profit?
- Buying Merck & Co. (MRK) stock at the best price ($0.28 on Mar 27, 1978) and selling at the peak ($125.35 on Jun 24, 2024) would have turned $1,000 into $446,450.83. Historical return: +44,545.08% (446.4 times).
What are Merck & Co. (MRK)'s best buy and sell dates for maximum profit?
- The best buy date for Merck & Co. (MRK) stock was Mar 27, 1978 at $0.28. The best sell date was Jun 24, 2024 at $125.35. This investment would have returned +44,545.08% (446.4 times).
What was Merck & Co. (MRK) stock's maximum drawdown?
- Merck & Co. (MRK) stock's worst decline was 68.57% (fell to 31% of peak) from peak to trough. Peak: $35.57 on Dec 28, 2000. Trough: $11.18 on Mar 9, 2009. A $1,000 investment at the peak would have been worth $314.31 at the trough.
What if you bought Merck & Co. (MRK) stock at IPO?
- A $1,000 investment in Merck & Co. (MRK) stock at IPO ($0.32 on Jan 13, 1978) would be worth $348,921.32 today. Historical return: +34,792.13% (348.9 times). Current stock price: $110.95 as of Apr 29, 2026.
What if you invested $1,000 in Merck & Co. (MRK) 5 years ago?
- A $1,000 investment in Merck & Co. (MRK) stock 5 years ago ($60.03 on Apr 29, 2021) would be worth $1,848.24 today. Historical return: +84.82% (1.84 times). Current stock price: $110.95 as of Apr 29, 2026.
What if you invested $1,000 in Merck & Co. (MRK) 10 years ago?
- A $1,000 investment in Merck & Co. (MRK) stock 10 years ago ($38.44 on Apr 29, 2016) would be worth $2,886.32 today. Historical return: +188.63% (2.88 times). Current stock price: $110.95 as of Apr 29, 2026.
What if you invested $1,000 in Merck & Co. (MRK) 20 years ago?
- A $1,000 investment in Merck & Co. (MRK) stock 20 years ago ($16.26 on Apr 28, 2006) would be worth $6,823.49 today. Historical return: +582.35% (6.82 times). Current stock price: $110.95 as of Apr 29, 2026.
Data & methodology
How does the investment calculator work?
- Enter an investment amount and a start date. We use historical stock prices to calculate how many shares you would have bought, then apply the current price to show your hypothetical portfolio value and return.
What are Historical extremes?
- Max profit: the best buy and sell dates that maximize percentage return. Max drawdown: the largest peak-to-trough decline in price. Return since IPO: total return from IPO date to the latest price.
What is Max drawdown?
- Maximum drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough decline in price. It shows the worst drop from any prior high to a subsequent low. Peak and Trough are the dates and prices at which this decline occurred.
Does this include dividends?
- The calculator uses adjusted closing prices when available, which account for stock splits and dividends. For the most accurate results, we recommend using data that includes dividend adjustments.
Where does the price data come from?
- Historical prices are dividend-adjusted closing prices from our data provider. The calculator and Historical extremes use the same data source for consistent results.
How are the dollar amounts in the cards calculated?
- The dollar amounts in Historical extremes use the investment amount you select in the calculator above (e.g. $1,000). They show what your investment would have been worth at the Buy/Peak/IPO date versus the Sell/Trough/Current date.
What date range can I use?
- The available date range depends on our historical price data for MRK. You can select any date between our first and most recent data point.
Explore more
MRK Overview
Company profile, financial tools, and key metrics
MRK Revenue Counter
Earns $2,061 every second. See per minute, hour, and day.
MRK Earnings Counter
Earns $578.83 per second net profit. See per minute, hour, and day.
MRK Economic Scale
Exceeds Bolivia's GDP. Compare with world economies.
MRK How It Makes Money
Discover visual breakdown of $65.01B in revenue — where it comes from and where it goes.
MRK Stock Seasonality
Best and worst months to invest. Historical monthly returns heatmap.
MRK Price Target Scenarios
Model bear, base, and bull cases with EPS growth and exit P/E — pre-filled from analysts and history.
MRK Daily Price Character
Steady · 48.2% historical win rate (green days). Streaks & record days.
MRK Buybacks
2.39% TTM buyback yield. Shareholder yield & SBC comparison.
MRK Stock Split History
7 splits on record. Dates, ratios, and cumulative multiple.
MRK Dividend Profile
Yield: 2.99%. Safety: 8/8. See full history.
MRK Dividend Calculator
How much dividend income would $1,000 have earned? Calculate from any date.
MRK Dividend Forecast
Project future income with DRIP, growth assumptions, and optional monthly contributions.
MRK Financials
Revenue, EPS, EBITDA, market cap, debt and balance sheet history with annual and quarterly data.