What was Merck's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2017?

Merck's CAGR from 2017 to September 2026 was 13.7% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Merck significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Merck compare to the S&P 500 since 2017?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2017 would be worth approximately $4,020.45 today. Merck underperformed the S&P 500 by $517.86.

How much of the Merck gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $2,502.58 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $3,127.19. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $2,906.97, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Merck since 2017?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2017, the real purchasing-power value of the Merck position is approximately $2,633.38 in 2017 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did Merck perform in 2017?

Merck fell 3.7% during 2017, from $42.62 at the start of the year to $41.05 at the start of 2018.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Merck in 2017?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$3,503

+$2,503 profit3.50x13.7% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $4,020

Its shares paid about $79.77 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$3,127

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$3,502.58

Total Profit

$2,502.58

Multiplier

3.50x

CAGR

13.7%

Max Drawdown

-40.0%

Inflation-Adjusted

$2,633.38

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2017 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Merck	$3,502.58	3.50x
S&P 500	$4,020.45	4.02x
Gold	$3,662.03	3.66x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,212.83	1.21x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 23.46 shares you'd own now paid about $79.77 in dividends (about $6.65 a month). That's 8% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $2,601; reinvested dividends added the other $901.91, 36% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2017

In June 2017, Merck was among the companies hit by the NotPetya cyberattack, alongside shipping giant Maersk and advertising agency WPP. fortune.com
In 2017, a gallon of gas averaged $2.42, a movie ticket averaged $8.97 and the new iPhone X started at $999. eia.gov apple.com deadline.com
During 2017 itself, Merck fell 3.7%, #79 of the 87 investments we track. The best was XRP (+36,408%); the worst was AMC Entertainment (−54%). Full 2017 results →

$1,000 in Merck, year by year

Of the 87 investments we track that were available at the start of 2017, Merck ranks #49 by growth to today — just behind Qualcomm and ahead of Gold ETF (GLD). See the full 2017 ranking →

Merck started 2017 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 18% in 2016. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2018, and has been above it since the start of 2019. Today's $3,503 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 6 of the 9 full years since. It fell behind the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2025 and hasn't caught up. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Mar 2024 ($2,864) to May 2025 ($1,717), a drop of 40%. At its lowest month-end, in Feb 2018, it was worth $928.99.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2017	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2018	$963	−3.7%	$1,218
Start of 2019	$1,335	+39%	$1,165
Start of 2020	$1,670	+25%	$1,532
Start of 2021	$1,515	−9.2%	$1,814
Start of 2022	$1,562	+3.1%	$2,334
Start of 2023	$2,332	+49%	$1,911
Start of 2024	$2,442	+4.7%	$2,414
Start of 2025	$2,197	−10%	$3,018
Start of 2026	$2,447	+11%	$3,557
Today	$3,503	+43%	$4,020

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2017, Merck was priced at $42.62 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 23.46 shares. Merck is a pharmaceutical company whose products include the cancer drug Keytruda.

Measured from one January to the next, Merck's best year since then was 2022 (+49%) and its worst was 2024 (−10%).

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Merck at the start of 2017 would be worth approximately $3,502.58 today — a 3.50x return ($2,502.58 profit) over 9.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2017 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2017 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.