We recently compiled a list of 10 Most Promising Long-Term Stocks According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we will look at where Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) ranks among the most promising long-term stocks according to hedge funds.

Another 50 bps Cut is Still Restrictive

The labor market has been more resilient than ever. On October 4, Gary Cohn, the IBM vice chairman, and former US National Economic Council director in the Trump administration, appeared in an interview on Yahoo Finance to discuss the job report and the US economy.

Cohn suggests that the jobs data is the least scientific information the government puts out and therefore, it must be taken with a grain of salt. However, he emphasizes the importance of understanding trends. The number of people entering the workforce is expanding and jobs are being created, deducing that the market is in a neutral place.

Cohn believes that the US economy is normalizing. He reveals that we have not lived in a normal economy in over a decade, therefore, relative to history, the status quo is fairly reasonable. He adds that the Fed has orchestrated a soft landing and expects another 50 basis point cut before the end of 2024, which according to him is still restrictive.

Portfolio Manager Highlights High Growth Sectors

As the AI flame starts to settle, the market may be up for a major shift. On October 7, Keith Buchanan, GLOBALT Investments senior portfolio manager, appeared in an interview on Yahoo Finance to discuss his expectations of the market.

Expectations for earnings have been revised from mid-single digits to mid-double digitals, promising robust growth as 2024 comes to a close. Buchanan suggests that most of the growth comes from artificial intelligence and the widening of earnings growth beyond traditional growth sectors like technology.

This year, the industrial and energy sectors have enjoyed greater returns capturing a large chunk of the market. Buchanan is highly bullish on AI plays and value stocks. He also adds that names in financials, industrials, and consumer discretionary are poised for growth ahead of 2024. He advises investors to consider geopolitical events before making any investment decisions.

Now that we have assessed the future of the financial markets and possible sectors eyeing growth, let’s take a look at the 10 most promising long-term stocks according to hedge funds.

Our Methodology

To find the most promising long-term stocks according to hedge funds, we went over multiple rankings over the internet to list long-term blue chip stocks. We then examined the analyst upside and the hedge fund sentiment of these stocks as of Q2 2024 and picked the most popular ones. The stocks are sorted in ascending order of the number of hedge fund holders as of Q2 2024 as a primary metric and analyst upside as of October 13, as a secondary metric.

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

Analyst Upside as of October 13, 2024: 28%

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is one of the most promising long-term stocks according to hedge funds. The pharmaceutical company is engaged in the production of vaccines and the provision of hospital care services.

For the year ended 2023, the company had 52 drugs in rotation serving over 500 million people in the United States. In addition to that, its star cancer drug, first approved in 2014, generated $26.3 billion in sales in 2023 and $7.3 billion during the second quarter of 2024.

What sets Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) apart is its knack for expansion. Recently, it acquired EyeBio, expanding Merck’s position in the ophthalmology industry. In addition to that, its animal health segment closed the acquisition of Elanco’s aqua business, presenting it as a crucial stakeholder in the animal health industry. On October 1, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) acquired CN201 from Curon Biopharmaceutical (Curon), a novel clinical-stage bispecific antibody for the treatment of B-cell diseases. Through the agreement, Merck now has complete global rights to CN201.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) boasts strong fundamentals and is a front-runner in the race to become a leading drug provider. To align with the goal, the company spent over $30.5 billion in research and development in 2023, which is expected to increase with every passing year.

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 6th on our list of the most promising long-term stocks according to hedge funds. 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 time frame. 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 on Insider Monkey.