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.
Merck & Co.
MRK
Historical extremes
Maximum profit (buy at all-time low, sell at peak), maximum drawdown (peak to trough), and total return from IPO to current price.
Max profit
+282571.84% (2,827 times)
- Buy
- Jun 22, 1962
- $0.04
- Sell
- Jun 24, 2024
- $126.28
Buying MRK at the all-time low and selling at the peak would have turned $1,000 into $2,826,718.38.
Max drawdown
-68.62% (fell to 31% of peak)
- Peak
- Dec 28, 2000
- $35.94
- Trough
- Mar 9, 2009
- $11.28
The worst decline for MRK was -68.62% (fell to 31% of peak) from peak to trough.
IPO to current
+179656.98% (1,798 times)
- IPO
- Jan 2, 1962
- $0.06
- Current
- Mar 16, 2026
- $115.43
A $1,000 investment in MRK at IPO would be worth $1,797,569.78 today.
Dollar amounts based on selected investment ($1,000)
Frequently asked questions
What is Merck & Co. (MRK) stock's all-time high and all-time low?
- Merck & Co. (MRK) stock's all-time low was $0.04 on Jun 22, 1962. The all-time high was $126.28 on Jun 24, 2024.
What if you invested $1,000 in Merck & Co. (MRK) stock at the all-time low?
- Buying Merck & Co. (MRK) stock at the all-time low ($0.04 on Jun 22, 1962) and selling at the peak ($126.28 on Jun 24, 2024) would have turned $1,000 into $2,826,718.38. Historical return: +282571.84% (2,827 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 Jun 22, 1962 (all-time low at $0.04). The best sell date was Jun 24, 2024 at $126.28. This investment would have returned +282571.84% (2,827 times).
What was Merck & Co. (MRK) stock's maximum drawdown?
- Merck & Co. (MRK) stock's worst decline was -68.62% (fell to 31% of peak) from peak to trough. Peak: $35.94 on Dec 28, 2000. Trough: $11.28 on Mar 9, 2009. A $1,000 investment at the peak would have been worth $313.78 at the trough.
What if you bought Merck & Co. (MRK) stock at IPO?
- A $1,000 investment in Merck & Co. (MRK) stock at IPO ($0.06 on Jan 2, 1962) would be worth $1,797,569.78 today. Historical return: +179656.98% (1,798 times). Current stock price: $115.43 as of Mar 16, 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 ($63.08 on Mar 16, 2021) would be worth $1,829.8 today. Historical return: +82.98% (1.83 times). Current stock price: $115.43 as of Mar 16, 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 ($36.7 on Mar 16, 2016) would be worth $3,144.95 today. Historical return: +214.50% (3.14 times). Current stock price: $115.43 as of Mar 16, 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 ($16.81 on Mar 16, 2006) would be worth $6,866.36 today. Historical return: +586.64% (6.87 times). Current stock price: $115.43 as of Mar 16, 2026.
About this data
- 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: buy at all-time low, sell at the highest price after. Max drawdown: the largest peak-to-trough decline in price. IPO to current: 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 from Yahoo Finance, adjusted for stock splits and dividends. We use adjusted close for all calculations.
- 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.