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Merck (MRK) Stock Moves -1.72%: What You Should Know
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Merck (MRK - Free Report) closed at $109.63 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.72% move from the prior day. This move was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 2.49%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 2.25%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.25%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the pharmaceutical company had gained 11.63% over the past month. This has outpaced the Medical sector's gain of 5.8% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.14% in that time.
Investors will be hoping for strength from Merck as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Merck to post earnings of $1.54 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 14.44%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $13.71 billion, up 1.36% from the year-ago period.
For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $7.38 per share and revenue of $59.16 billion, which would represent changes of +22.59% and +17.95%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Merck. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.02% higher. Merck currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, Merck is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 15.11. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 15.23, so we one might conclude that Merck is trading at a discount comparatively.
It is also worth noting that MRK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.46. 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. MRK's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.18 as of yesterday's close.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 81, putting it in the top 33% 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 -1.72%: What You Should Know
Merck (MRK - Free Report) closed at $109.63 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.72% move from the prior day. This move was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 2.49%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 2.25%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.25%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the pharmaceutical company had gained 11.63% over the past month. This has outpaced the Medical sector's gain of 5.8% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.14% in that time.
Investors will be hoping for strength from Merck as it approaches its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect Merck to post earnings of $1.54 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 14.44%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $13.71 billion, up 1.36% from the year-ago period.
For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $7.38 per share and revenue of $59.16 billion, which would represent changes of +22.59% and +17.95%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Merck. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.02% higher. Merck currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, Merck is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 15.11. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 15.23, so we one might conclude that Merck is trading at a discount comparatively.
It is also worth noting that MRK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.46. 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. MRK's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.18 as of yesterday's close.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 81, putting it in the top 33% 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.