#6 - Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK)
Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK) - There are a few certainties in our society: death, taxes, and prescription drugs. OK, maybe that last one isn’t such a certainty, but it’s a market that continues to grow. Whether the economy is expanding or contracting, consumers will still budget for their prescriptions. Merck delivers on two of the important characteristics you should be looking for in a prescription stock. First, it has patent-protected products that are showing exceptional growth. The company’s Keytruda cancer treatment is showing rapid growth for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The drug recorded a year-over-year doubling in sales in the second quarter. Second, they have a pipeline of new products in place when Keytruda loses its patent protection including a flagship Alzheimer’s drug that analysts are projecting could reach $5 billion in sales per year. In their most recent earnings report, Merck beat analysts’ expectations on sales that were up 5% to $10.5 billion and adjusted income that also grew 5% to $1.06 per share.
About Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.
More- Current Price
- $89.52
- Consensus Rating
- Moderate Buy
- Ratings Breakdown
- 12 Buy Ratings, 8 Hold Ratings, 1 Sell Ratings.
- Consensus Price Target
- $120.33 (34.4% Upside)
