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Merck (MRK) Stock Moves -1.06%: What You Should Know

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Merck (MRK - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $105.36, demonstrating a -1.06% swing from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's performance was ahead of the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.47%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 1.27%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 1.5%.

The pharmaceutical company's stock has climbed by 4.19% in the past month, falling short of the Medical sector's gain of 5.51% and the S&P 500's gain of 5.77%.

The upcoming earnings release of Merck will be of great interest to investors. The company is expected to report EPS of $0.15, down 90.74% from the prior-year quarter. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $14.61 billion, reflecting a 5.65% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.74 per share and revenue of $60 billion. These totals would mark changes of -76.74% and +1.22%, respectively, from last year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Merck. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.

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. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.36% upward. Merck is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, Merck currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 61.27. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 15.65.

It's also important to note that MRK currently trades at a PEG ratio of 7.1. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.3.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 77, this industry ranks in the top 31% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.


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