Merck (MRK) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts

Merck (MRK) closed at $111.53 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.68% move from the prior day. The stock's change was more than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.76%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.75%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.01%.Coming into today, shares of the pharmaceutical company had lost 7.01% in the past month. In that same time, the Medical sector lost 3.35%, while the S&P 500 gained 4.31%.The upcoming earnings release of Merck will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on October 31, 2024. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.59, down 25.35% from the prior-year quarter. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $16.5 billion, showing a 3.36% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $7.85 per share and revenue of $64.11 billion, which would represent changes of +419.87% and +6.65%, respectively, from the prior year.Investors might also notice 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 reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. 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 1.95% lower. Merck is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Looking at its valuation, Merck is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 13.97. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 15.88.Investors should also note that MRK has a PEG ratio of 1.55 right now. 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. Large Cap Pharmaceuticals stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.65 based on yesterday's closing prices.The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 33, placing it within the top 14% of over 250 industries.The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. 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.Infrastructure Stock Boom to Sweep AmericaA massive push to rebuild the crumbling U.S. infrastructure will soon be underway. It’s bipartisan, urgent, and inevitable. Trillions will be spent. Fortunes will be made.The only question is “Will you get into the right stocks early when their growth potential is greatest?”Zacks has released a Special Report to help you do just that, and today it’s free. Discover 5 special companies that look to gain the most from construction and repair to roads, bridges, and buildings, plus cargo hauling and energy transformation on an almost unimaginable scale.Download FREE: How To Profit From Trillions On Spending For Infrastructure >>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