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Merck (MRK) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know

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The most recent trading session ended with Merck (MRK - Free Report) standing at $126.04, reflecting a +0.21% shift from the previouse trading day's closing. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.07%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.13%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.14%.

Shares of the pharmaceutical company witnessed a loss of 4.34% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Medical sector with its loss of 1.99% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.34%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Merck in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on July 30, 2024. The company is expected to report EPS of $2.14, up 203.88% from the prior-year quarter. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $15.88 billion, indicating a 5.64% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

MRK's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $8.62 per share and revenue of $64.45 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +470.86% and +7.21%, respectively.

Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Merck. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the company's business operations and its ability to generate profits.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, 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 last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.14% lower. Merck is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Merck has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.59 right now. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 14.72.

We can also see that MRK currently has a PEG ratio of 2.43. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. As the market closed yesterday, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.84.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 99, this industry ranks in the top 40% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.


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