SCHW vs MRK Comparison

Charles Schwab is one of the largest retail-oriented financial services companies in the US, with $10.1 trillion in client assets across its brokerage, banking, asset-management, custody, financial advisory, and wealth-management businesses at year-end 2024. While best known for its retail brokerage offering, Schwab generates the lion's share of its revenue and profits through its Charles Schwab Bank and asset-management segments. The firm is a dominant player in registered investment advisor custody, with over 40% market share, and has recently pushed into wealth management with robo-advisory, direct indexing, and other managed-investment solutions.

Merck makes pharmaceutical products to treat several conditions in a number of therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and infections. Within cancer, the firm's immuno-oncology platform, led by Keytruda, is a major contributor to overall sales. The company also has a substantial vaccine business aimed at preventing pediatric diseases, as well as Gardasil for human papillomavirus. Additionally, Merck sells animal health-related drugs. From a geographical perspective, 47% of the company's sales are generated from US human health (pharmaceuticals and vaccines).