Canadian Halal Investor.

NYSE Shariah screener · October 2026

Is Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Halal?

PASS

Merck & Co., Inc. · NYSE: MRK · Healthcare

The short answer

Yes — Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) passes this Shariah stock screen. The Rahway, New Jersey health care company (pharmaceuticals including Keytruda and Gardasil; animal health) has no disclosed prohibited business lines. Its total debt of $49,339M is about 13.9% of its ~$355.5B market cap ($143.81, October 1, 2026), below the ~33% ceiling. Interest income of $343M is about 0.53% of FY2025 revenue ($65,011M), below the 5% non-compliant income ceiling (even including $368M of equity-securities investment income: 1.09%, still under). Zoya rates MRK Shariah-compliant and Musaffa classifies it HALAL; ShariaPortfolio publishes no MRK rating — honestly reported as absent, not invented.

Gate 1 — Business activity: PASS

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, is a global health care company operating in two reportable segments per its FY2025 Form 10-K (fiscal year ended December 31, 2025): Pharmaceutical (human health prescription medicines including Keytruda/Keytruda Qlex with $31.7B sales in 2025, and vaccines including Gardasil/Gardasil 9) and Animal Health (veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and livestock and companion-animal products — $6.4B sales in 2025). (Not to be confused with Merck KGaA of Germany, a separate company.) No prohibited lines are disclosed — no alcohol, gambling, pork, conventional banking/insurance, tobacco, cannabis, weapons manufacturing or adult entertainment. Gate 1 passes. Facts only.

Gate 2 — Debt and cash: PASS

Per Merck's Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (filed February 24, 2026), total debt was $49,339M — long-term debt $46,750M plus "loans payable and current portion of long-term debt" $2,589M on the balance sheet at December 31, 2025. Against a market cap of about $355.5B (2,472,392,003 shares outstanding × $143.81 on October 1, 2026; Finnhub's own snapshot: $366.81B → 13.5%), debt ÷ market cap is about 13.9%, below the ~33% ceiling on either figure. Cash and cash equivalents of $14,565M (short-term investments $0 in 2025) are about 4.1% of market cap. Gate 2 passes. Facts only.

Gate 3 — Non-compliant income: PASS

Merck's FY2025 10-K ("Other (income) expense, net" table; also shown as unallocated interest income in the segment reconciliation) reports interest income of $343M against total revenue of $65,011M — about 0.53% of revenue, below the 5% non-compliant income ceiling. The same 10-K table shows $368M of income from investments in equity securities in 2025 — even counting that alongside interest income ($711M total = 1.09% of revenue), the ratio stays comfortably under 5%. Zoya's page independently cites the same $343M = 0.53% figure. Gate 3 passes. Facts only.

Key figures used

Frequently asked questions

What does Merck do?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK), headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, is a global health care company operating in two reportable segments per its FY2025 10-K (fiscal year ended December 31, 2025): Pharmaceutical (human health prescription medicines including Keytruda/Keytruda Qlex with $31.7B sales in 2025, and vaccines including Gardasil/Gardasil 9) and Animal Health (veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and livestock and companion-animal products — $6.4B sales in 2025). Not to be confused with Merck KGaA of Germany, a separate company.

Why does Merck pass this Shariah stock screen?

Merck passes all three gates of this screen. Its business is pharmaceuticals and animal health with no disclosed prohibited lines (no alcohol, gambling, pork, conventional banking/insurance, tobacco, cannabis, weapons manufacturing or adult entertainment). Total debt of $49,339M is about 13.9% of its ~$355.5B market cap, below the ~33% ceiling. Interest income of $343M is about 0.53% of FY2025 revenue ($65,011M), below the 5% non-compliant income ceiling (even counting $368M of equity-securities investment income alongside it: $711M = 1.09%, still under). Zoya rates MRK Shariah-compliant and Musaffa classifies it HALAL. This is a factual screen, not a religious ruling — consult a qualified scholar for personal rulings.

What is Merck's interest-bearing debt ratio?

Per Merck's Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (filed February 24, 2026), total debt was $49,339M — long-term debt $46,750M plus "loans payable and current portion of long-term debt" $2,589M on the balance sheet at December 31, 2025. Against a market cap of about $355.5B (2,472,392,003 shares outstanding × $143.81, October 1, 2026; Finnhub's own snapshot: $366.81B → 13.5%), debt ÷ market cap is about 13.9% — below the ~33% ceiling on either figure. Cash and cash equivalents of $14,565M (short-term investments $0 in 2025) are about 4.1% of market cap.

What is Merck's non-compliant income ratio?

Merck's FY2025 10-K ("Other (income) expense, net" table; also shown as unallocated interest income in the segment reconciliation) reports interest income of $343M against total revenue of $65,011M — about 0.53% of revenue, below the 5% non-compliant income ceiling. The same 10-K table shows $368M of income from investments in equity securities in 2025 — even counting that alongside interest income ($711M total = 1.09% of revenue), the ratio stays comfortably under 5%. Zoya's page independently cites the same $343M = 0.53% figure.

Do Zoya, Musaffa, or ShariaPortfolio cover Merck?

Zoya covers MRK (zoya.finance/stocks/mrk): its live page states MRK "is Shariah-compliant and therefore considered halal to invest in" based on the most recent financial reports, and Zoya's "Top Rated Halal Stocks" blog also lists Merck with Shariah Compliance. Musaffa covers MRK (musaffa.com/stock/MRK) and classifies it HALAL "as of October 2026" under AAOIFI methodology, consistent with its academy articles. ShariaPortfolio publishes no MRK-specific screening page — reported as absent, not invented. This page applies the screen directly from Merck's own filings.

Sources

Screened 2026-10-01 from published company figures and market data. Figures change; this page is educational, not financial advice and not a religious ruling.

Screened with our two-gate Shariah screening methodology (business-activity gate, then AAOIFI-style financial ratios).