We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Defensive Stocks According to Reddit. In this article, we will look at where Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) stands against the other defensive stocks.

September is typically the worst month for the markets, however with a much anticipated rate cut, 2024 might be a different story. The current market environment is unpredictable. We’re seeing higher highs and lower lows in different categories and for risk-averse investors, defensive stocks are the best bets right now.

“Investors Must Consider Quality Stocks”

On September 7, Co-Chief Investment Strategist at John Hancock Investment Management Emily Roland appeared in an interview on Yahoo Finance to discuss the impact of the September jobs report on financial markets. Roland has a bullish view on the economy, overall, considering that only 142,000 jobs were added in August.

Roland talked about how NVIDIA is influencing the overall market condition, reiterating that the company held the power to bring the market down, followed by other giants such as Broadcom. She believes that anything more than 50 basis points does signal that the Fed may know something that the general public does not.

Roland further added that while we cannot predict a recession coming, the US economy is decelerating at an easy pace. She also pointed out that weak and incomplete economic data has added to the uncertainty, making it hard to predict economic outcomes in the short and long run.

Roland expects that the Fed will be taking cuts slowly and won’t implement drastic measures, to not spook out the market. She believes investors should refrain from taking massive risks and invest in solid quality stocks, with great balance sheets, high cash, and strong return on equity rates.

She’s particularly concerned about mega-cap tech stocks and highlighted that, while they may be attractive, these giants do have a valuation issue, with forward earnings going above and beyond 30. Roland suggests that investors must explore other quality areas of the equity market with reasonable prices such as healthcare, consumer defensive, and utility stocks.

Is a 50 Basis Points Rate Cut Needed?

To shed light on the economic conditions of the United States, New Century Advisors Chief Economist, Claudia Sahm, appeared in an interview on Yahoo Finance on September 7. Sahm was overly concerned about the number of jobs added in August and how they were not enough to outdo a mini-recession. Sahm emphasized that the status quo is giving a clear direction as to how the Fed should proceed. She suggests that the Fed should ease its policies, potentially cutting rates by at least 50 basis points, contrary to what Roland suggested.

Sahm also added that a possible explanation for the softening labor market are Fed’s policies to curb inflation, indicating the need for more economic data points. She emphasized that unemployment data alone is not enough to predict a lingering recession and that broader economic data should be taken into account.

An uncertain market calls for safe investing. With that let’s take a look at the 10 best defensive stocks according to Reddit. You can also take a look at the safest stocks to invest in now.

Our Methodology 

We looked at the best stocks in the utilities, finance, healthcare, and technology sectors by sifting through multiple active subreddits. We compiled an initial list of 20 stocks and then picked the top 10 with the largest number of hedge fund holders, as of Q2 2024.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

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

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 96

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is the second-best defensive stock according to Reddit. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in the United States. The company specializes in the production of vaccines and the provision of hospital care services. Keytruda, its drug for cancer, is the company’s best-selling product and is a global star.

In the second quarter of 2024, the company’s Human Health business grew by 11%, its Animal Health segment saw a 6% increase in sales, and KEYTRUDA, its star cancer drug, went up by 21% reaching $7.3 billion in sales. On the vaccines front, its GARDASIL logged $2.5 billion in sales, up by 4%, year-over-year, and VAXNEUVANCE, its pneumococcal vaccine, expanded sales by 16% to reach $189 million. Overall, the growth in sales was brought in by rapid launches in international markets.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is an important company in the industry. Its new drug, CAPVAXIVE, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for adults just received approval from the FDA, followed by its ACIP recommendation. The two medical innovations are breakthroughs for patients. The company also closed its acquisition of EyeBio, in an attempt to venture into the ophthalmology industry and invent a treatment for retinal conditions. Its Animal Health segment also closed the acquisition of Elanco’s aqua business, presenting Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) as a leader in the animal health business.

Merck & Co., Inc.’s (NYSE:MRK) commitment to innovation is its economic moat. The company launched a new vaccine for adult patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, WINREVAIR. The vaccine was only approved by the FDA on March 26 and logged over $70 million in sales in the quarter. 40% of these sales came from doses administered to patients and the remainder to distributors.

Analysts are bullish on MRK and their 12-month median price target of $141 points to a 20% upside from current levels. In Q2 2024, there were 96 hedge funds that held positions in the stock with total stakes amounting to $7.76 billion. As of June 30, Fisher Asset Management was the largest shareholder with a position worth $1.77 billion.

Baron Funds’ Baron Health Care Fund stated the following regarding Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in its first quarter 2024 investor letter:

“Global pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), Inc. contributed on the continued growth of Keytruda, the company’s key asset and the leading immuno-oncology agent used to treat a variety of cancers. The FDA’s late March approval of pulmonary arterial hypertension drug sotatercept, also drove share gains. We retain conviction as Merck has started to transition from prioritizing its Keytruda franchise to building a more diversified business, with a focus on the Gardasil vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine development, and cardiovascular drug development, well in advance of the scheduled expiration of patent protection/exclusivity rights.”

Overall MRK ranks 2nd on our list of the best defensive stocks to buy. While we acknowledge the potential of MRK as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MRK but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.