Merck & Co Inc Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (MRK)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Merck (NYSE:MRK) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A- . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, increase in net income, growth in earnings per share and expanding profit margins. Although the company may harbor some minor weaknesses, we feel they are unlikely to have a significant impact on results.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 34.87% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. Turning to the future, naturally, any stock can fall in a major bear market. However, in almost any other environment, the stock should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed nice gains in the past year.
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Pharmaceuticals industry average. The net income increased by 2.2% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $1,693.00 million to $1,730.00 million.
• MERCK & CO's earnings per share improvement from the most recent quarter was slightly positive. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past year. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, MERCK & CO increased its bottom line by earning $2.03 versus $0.27 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($3.81 versus $2.03).
• Regardless of the drop in revenue, the company managed to outperform against the industry average of 4.9%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 4.4%. The declining revenue has not hurt the company's bottom line, with increasing earnings per share.
• The gross profit margin for MERCK & CO is rather high; currently it is at 64.50%. Despite the high profit margin, it has decreased significantly from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of 15.10% trails the industry average.

Merck & Co., Inc. provides various health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. Merck has a market cap of $139.09 billion and is part of the health care sector and drugs industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 13, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 21.8% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Merck Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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