vs
Side-by-side financial comparison of Delta Air Lines (DAL) and Merck & Co. (MRK). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
Merck & Co. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($16.4B vs $16.0B, roughly 1.0× Delta Air Lines). On growth, Delta Air Lines posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (14.0% vs 5.0%). Over the past eight quarters, Merck & Co.'s revenue compounded faster (2.0% CAGR vs -2.0%).
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its largest in terms of total passengers and number of departures. With its regional subsidiaries and contractors operating under the brand name Delta Connection, Delta has over 5,400 flights daily and serves 325 destinations in 52 countries on six continents.
Merck & Co., Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada. The company is ranked fourth on the list of largest biomedical companies by revenue.
DAL vs MRK — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $16.0B | $16.4B |
| Net Profit | — | $3.0B |
| Gross Margin | — | 66.2% |
| Operating Margin | 9.2% | 20.9% |
| Net Margin | — | 18.1% |
| Revenue YoY | 14.0% | 5.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | — | -20.8% |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.85 | $1.19 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | $16.0B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $16.0B | $16.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $16.7B | $17.3B | ||
| Q2 25 | $16.6B | $15.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | $14.0B | $15.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $15.6B | $15.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $15.7B | $16.7B | ||
| Q2 24 | $16.7B | $16.1B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.2B | $3.0B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.4B | $5.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.1B | $4.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $240.0M | $5.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $843.0M | $3.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.3B | $3.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.3B | $5.5B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 66.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 77.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 77.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 78.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 75.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 75.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 76.8% |
| Q1 26 | 9.2% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 9.2% | 20.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 10.1% | 39.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 12.6% | 31.6% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.1% | 38.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 11.0% | 26.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.9% | 24.6% | ||
| Q2 24 | 13.6% | 37.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 7.6% | 18.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.5% | 33.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 12.8% | 28.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 1.7% | 32.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.4% | 24.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.1% | 19.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 7.8% | 33.9% |
| Q1 26 | $1.85 | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.85 | $1.19 | ||
| Q3 25 | $2.17 | $2.32 | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.27 | $1.76 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.37 | $2.01 | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.29 | $1.49 | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.97 | $1.24 | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.01 | $2.14 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $4.3B | $14.6B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $12.5B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $20.9B | $52.6B |
| Total Assets | $81.3B | $136.9B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.60× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $4.3B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.3B | $14.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.8B | $18.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.3B | $8.6B | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.7B | $9.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $3.1B | $13.7B | ||
| Q3 24 | $4.0B | $14.6B | ||
| Q2 24 | $4.2B | $11.4B |
| Q1 26 | $12.5B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $12.5B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $12.8B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $12.8B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $12.9B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $14.0B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $14.4B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $15.0B | — |
| Q1 26 | $20.9B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $20.9B | $52.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $18.8B | $51.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | $17.4B | $49.0B | ||
| Q1 25 | $15.4B | $48.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $15.3B | $46.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $13.6B | $44.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $12.4B | $43.6B |
| Q1 26 | $81.3B | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $81.3B | $136.9B | ||
| Q3 25 | $79.6B | $129.5B | ||
| Q2 25 | $78.4B | $117.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $77.3B | $115.1B | ||
| Q4 24 | $75.4B | $117.1B | ||
| Q3 24 | $75.4B | $117.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $75.2B | $112.6B |
| Q1 26 | 0.60× | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.60× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.68× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.74× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.83× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.92× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.05× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.21× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | — | $2.9B |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | — | $1.8B |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | — | 11.1% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | — | 6.3% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 0.96× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | — | $12.4B |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $2.3B | $2.9B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.8B | $7.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.9B | $3.3B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.4B | $2.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.9B | $3.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.3B | $9.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.4B | $5.6B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.4B | $1.8B | ||
| Q3 25 | $687.0M | $6.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $648.0M | $2.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.2B | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $583.0M | $2.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $-54.0M | $8.5B | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.1B | $4.8B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 8.5% | 11.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.1% | 39.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.9% | 16.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.2% | 7.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.7% | 16.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | -0.3% | 51.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.8% | 30.1% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 5.7% | 6.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 7.0% | 5.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.3% | 4.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | 8.7% | 8.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | 8.4% | 6.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.5% | 4.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 7.9% | 4.9% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 1.86× | 0.96× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.30× | 1.35× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.87× | 0.74× | ||
| Q1 25 | 9.91× | 0.49× | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.25× | 0.92× | ||
| Q3 24 | 1.00× | 2.94× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.88× | 1.03× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
DAL
| Passenger Air Traffic | $10.8B | 67% |
| Product And Service Other Refinery | $1.7B | 10% |
| Product And Service Other Loyalty Program | $1.2B | 8% |
| Passenger Loyalty Travel Awards | $1.0B | 6% |
| Passenger Travel Related Services | $506.0M | 3% |
| Product And Service Other Ancillary Businesses | $380.0M | 2% |
| Cargo And Freight | $226.0M | 1% |
| Product And Service Other Miscellaneous | $71.0M | 0% |
MRK
| Pharmaceuticalsegment | $8.7B | 53% |
| Keytruda | $4.9B | 30% |
| Other | $2.7B | 16% |
| Janumet | $57.0M | 0% |
| Isentress Isentress HD | $38.0M | 0% |
| Pifeltro | $25.0M | 0% |
| Belsomra | $23.0M | 0% |
| Dificid | $17.0M | 0% |
| Delstrigo | $14.0M | 0% |
| Lagevrio | $12.0M | 0% |
| Pneumovax23 | $4.0M | 0% |
