5 Best Low Volatility Stocks to Buy Now

In this article, we discuss the 5 best low volatility stocks to buy now. If you want to see more stocks in this selection, check out the 12 Best Low Volatility Stocks to Buy Now.

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

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 75

Beta Value: 0.35

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) is a renowned American multinational pharmaceutical company with its headquarters situated in Rahway, New Jersey. Originally the American arm of the Merck Group, founded in Germany in 1668, it carries the name of its former parent company. Operating as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, the company holds a prominent position in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in the development of medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products.

On May 23, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) declared a $0.73 per share quarterly dividend, in line with the previous. The dividend was payable on July 10, to shareholders of record on June 15.

Insider Monkey dug through 943 hedge funds for their first quarter of 2023 investments to discover that 75 had invested in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK). Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management is the biggest shareholder, owning a $1.3 billion stake.

Here’s what Aristotle Capital Management, LLC said about Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

“Founded in 1891 and headquartered in New Jersey, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is one the world’s largest pharmaceutical firms. The company’s drugs are used to treat conditions in a variety of areas, including oncology (~38% of revenue), vaccines (~19%), diabetes (~11%), animal health (~11%) and other (~21%). Merck produced over $48 billion in sales in 2021, just under half of which were generated in the United States. Within oncology, the firm’s immuno-oncology platform is becoming a major contributor to overall sales, driven by the blockbuster1 drug Keytruda. The company’s vaccine business is also significant and includes Gardasil for the prevention of HPV (the disease that can lead to cervical cancer in women), as well as vaccines for hepatitis B, pediatric diseases and shingles. In recent years, Merck has been shifting its focus toward unmet medical needs in specialty-care areas. As part of this shift in focus, in June 2021, Merck received $9 billion from the spinoff of its women’s health, established brands, and biosimilars businesses into the now independent, publicly traded company Organon…” (Click here to read the full text)