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Merck (MRK) Stock Moves -0.66%: What You Should Know
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In the latest trading session, Merck (MRK - Free Report) closed at $80.75, marking a -0.66% move from the previous day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.1%. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.89%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.03%.
Heading into today, shares of the pharmaceutical company had gained 6.74% over the past month, outpacing the Medical sector's loss of 7.84% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.81% in that time.
Wall Street will be looking for positivity from Merck as it approaches its next earnings report date. This is expected to be February 3, 2022. In that report, analysts expect Merck to post earnings of $1.45 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 9.85%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $12.62 billion, up 0.84% from the year-ago period.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Merck. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.04% higher within the past month. Merck is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.
In terms of valuation, Merck is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 11.81. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 13.09, which means Merck is trading at a discount to the group.
It is also worth noting that MRK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.66. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.01 as of yesterday's close.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 226, putting it in the bottom 12% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
To follow MRK in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.
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Merck (MRK) Stock Moves -0.66%: What You Should Know
In the latest trading session, Merck (MRK - Free Report) closed at $80.75, marking a -0.66% move from the previous day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.1%. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.89%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.03%.
Heading into today, shares of the pharmaceutical company had gained 6.74% over the past month, outpacing the Medical sector's loss of 7.84% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.81% in that time.
Wall Street will be looking for positivity from Merck as it approaches its next earnings report date. This is expected to be February 3, 2022. In that report, analysts expect Merck to post earnings of $1.45 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 9.85%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $12.62 billion, up 0.84% from the year-ago period.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Merck. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.04% higher within the past month. Merck is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.
In terms of valuation, Merck is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 11.81. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 13.09, which means Merck is trading at a discount to the group.
It is also worth noting that MRK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.66. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.01 as of yesterday's close.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 226, putting it in the bottom 12% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
To follow MRK in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.