Why Merck Is Poised to Pop
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, drug behemoth Merck has earned a respected four-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Merck and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Merck facts
Headquarters (founded) | Whitehouse Station, N.J. (1891) |
Market Cap | $146.6 billion |
Industry | Pharmaceuticals |
Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $46.2 billion |
Management | Chairman/CEO Kenneth Frazier |
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) | 8.7% |
Cash / Debt | $16.0 billion / $20.8 billion |
Dividend Yield | 3.5% |
Competitors | Novartis |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 93% of the 2,928 members who have rated Merck believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last month, one of those Fools, All-Star joryko, succinctly summed up the Merck bull case for our community:
Long-term outperform for a steady Eddie in a strong industry.
-Incredibly strong drug pipeline
-3.6% [dividend yield]
-Broad demographic shift toward more demand for their goods
-Somewhat expensive, but justified, as it is a great defensive selection
5+ year outperform as Merck looks to reinvigorate its sales with 6 quality drugs in its pipeline.
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The article Why Merck Is Poised to Pop originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Brian Pacampara has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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