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, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, reasonable valuation levels and growth in earnings per share. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.

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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 29.66% 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.
• The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.35, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. To add to this, MRK has a quick ratio of 1.67, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• 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 ($3.80 versus $2.03).

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 $135.92 billion and is part of the health care sector and drugs industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 20.3, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 17.5% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

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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