10 Best Fortune 500 Stocks to Buy According to Analysts

8. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Upside Potential as of May 3: 21.26%

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a global health care company working to deliver innovative health solutions through our medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products.

On May 1, Morgan Stanley analyst Terence Flynn raised the firm’s price target on Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) from $109 to $112, while maintaining an ‘Equal Weight’ rating on the shares.

The target boost comes after Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) beat topline estimates in its Q1 results posted on April 30, driven by the strong demand for its aging cancer immunotherapy Keytruda. Sales of the medicine rose 12% to $8 billion during the quarter, beating expectations of $7.6 billion.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) also narrowed its ​previous guidance range, pushing up ​the midpoint of both its full-year revenue and EPS guidance. The ⁠company now expects a 2026 profit of $5.04 to $5.16 per share on sales of $65.8 billion to $67 billion, compared with a previous estimate of $5.00 to $5.15 ​per share on sales of $65.5 billion to $67 billion.

According to Morgan Stanley, pipeline execution and capital deployment are the two key factors for MRK.