Merck (MRK) Outpaces Stock Market Gains: What You Should Know

Merck (MRK) closed the latest trading day at $100.98, indicating a +1.74% change from the previous session's end. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.16%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.86%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.38%.Shares of the pharmaceutical company have depreciated by 2.7% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Medical sector's loss of 5.3% and lagging the S&P 500's loss of 2.2%.Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Merck in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on February 4, 2025. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.76, up 5766.67% from the prior-year quarter. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $15.58 billion, reflecting a 6.52% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.Furthermore, it would be beneficial for investors to monitor any recent shifts in analyst projections for Merck. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. 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 past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 1.31% downward. As of now, Merck holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).In the context of valuation, Merck is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 10.51. This denotes a discount relative to the industry's average Forward P/E of 12.75.We can also see that MRK currently has a PEG ratio of 1.17. 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 1.28 as of yesterday's close.The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 187, which puts it in the bottom 26% of all 250+ industries.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.Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +24.1% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks