vs

Side-by-side financial comparison of HSBC HOLDINGS PLC (HSBC) and Merck & Co. (MRK). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($28.6B vs $16.3B, roughly 1.8× Merck & Co.). HSBC HOLDINGS PLC runs the higher net margin — 25.7% vs 0.9%, a 24.8% gap on every dollar of revenue.

HSBC Holdings plc is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business links to East Asia and a multinational footprint. It is the largest Europe-based bank by total assets, ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$3.098 trillion as of September 2024. This also puts it as the 7th largest bank in the world by total assets behind Bank of America, and the 3rd largest non-state owned bank in the world.

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.

HSBC vs MRK — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
HSBC
HSBC
1.8× larger
HSBC
$28.6B
$16.3B
MRK
Higher net margin
HSBC
HSBC
24.8% more per $
HSBC
25.7%
0.9%
MRK

Income Statement — Q4 FY2024 vs Q1 FY2026

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Revenue
$28.6B
$16.3B
Net Profit
$7.3B
$141.0M
Gross Margin
74.2%
Operating Margin
33.1%
Net Margin
25.7%
0.9%
Revenue YoY
4.9%
Net Profit YoY
-9.5%
EPS (diluted)
$0.36

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.

Revenue
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
$16.3B
Q4 25
$16.4B
Q3 25
$17.3B
Q2 25
$15.8B
Q1 25
$28.6B
$15.5B
Q4 24
$15.6B
Q3 24
$16.7B
Q2 24
$16.1B
Net Profit
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
$141.0M
Q4 25
$3.0B
Q3 25
$5.8B
Q2 25
$4.4B
Q1 25
$7.3B
$5.1B
Q4 24
$3.7B
Q3 24
$3.2B
Q2 24
$5.5B
Gross Margin
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
74.2%
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%
Operating Margin
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
20.9%
Q3 25
39.0%
Q2 25
31.6%
Q1 25
33.1%
38.0%
Q4 24
26.7%
Q3 24
24.6%
Q2 24
37.3%
Net Margin
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
0.9%
Q4 25
18.1%
Q3 25
33.5%
Q2 25
28.0%
Q1 25
25.7%
32.7%
Q4 24
24.0%
Q3 24
19.0%
Q2 24
33.9%
EPS (diluted)
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
$1.19
Q3 25
$2.32
Q2 25
$1.76
Q1 25
$0.36
$2.01
Q4 24
$1.49
Q3 24
$1.24
Q2 24
$2.14

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$434.9B
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$192.3B
Total Assets
$3017.0B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
$14.6B
Q3 25
$18.2B
Q2 25
$8.6B
Q1 25
$434.9B
$9.2B
Q4 24
$13.7B
Q3 24
$14.6B
Q2 24
$11.4B
Stockholders' Equity
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
$52.6B
Q3 25
$51.9B
Q2 25
$49.0B
Q1 25
$192.3B
$48.3B
Q4 24
$46.3B
Q3 24
$44.5B
Q2 24
$43.6B
Total Assets
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
$136.9B
Q3 25
$129.5B
Q2 25
$117.5B
Q1 25
$3017.0B
$115.1B
Q4 24
$117.1B
Q3 24
$117.5B
Q2 24
$112.6B

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$65.3B
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$64.0B
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
223.9%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
4.7%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
8.90×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
$2.9B
Q3 25
$7.8B
Q2 25
$3.3B
Q1 25
$65.3B
$2.5B
Q4 24
$3.5B
Q3 24
$9.3B
Q2 24
$5.6B
Free Cash Flow
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
$1.8B
Q3 25
$6.8B
Q2 25
$2.5B
Q1 25
$64.0B
$1.2B
Q4 24
$2.5B
Q3 24
$8.5B
Q2 24
$4.8B
FCF Margin
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
11.1%
Q3 25
39.6%
Q2 25
16.0%
Q1 25
223.9%
7.5%
Q4 24
16.1%
Q3 24
51.1%
Q2 24
30.1%
Capex Intensity
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
6.3%
Q3 25
5.7%
Q2 25
4.8%
Q1 25
4.7%
8.6%
Q4 24
6.0%
Q3 24
4.7%
Q2 24
4.9%
Cash Conversion
HSBC
HSBC
MRK
MRK
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.96×
Q3 25
1.35×
Q2 25
0.74×
Q1 25
8.90×
0.49×
Q4 24
0.92×
Q3 24
2.94×
Q2 24
1.03×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Related Comparisons