Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, drug behemoth Merck (MRK 0.10%) 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 |
$132.4 billion |
|
Industry |
Pharmaceuticals |
|
Trailing-12-Month Revenue |
$47.8 billion |
|
Management |
Chairman/CEO Kenneth Frazier |
|
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) |
12.9% |
|
Cash/Debt |
$18.1 billion / $19.6 billion |
|
Dividend Yield |
4% |
|
Competitors |
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK -0.92%) |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 93% of the 2,883 members who have rated Merck believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Earlier today, one of those Fools, TMFCane, succinctly summed up the Merck bull case for our community:
Januvia and Janumet are poised to explode with the diabetes market. Suvorexant and odanacatib both look good, and keeping all its divisions together (rather than spinning them off a la Abbott and Pfizer) should allow Merck to capitalize on growth segments. This company's done well in compensating for Singulair's loss.
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