Starter Stock Portfolio: 14 Safe Stocks to Buy Now

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

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) ranks among the 14 safe stocks to buy now for a starter stock portfolio. On March 2, Leerink Partners boosted its price target for Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) to $129 from $128, with an Outperform rating, highlighting potential upside for the company’s cancer medicine belzutifan. The firm stated that belzutifan has been an underrated growth engine for Merck.

In fiscal year 2025, Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) recorded $603 million in sales of monotherapy belzutifan for late-line treatment in the US, with a further $113 million in sales outside the country. The drug’s highest sales are estimated by consensus to be around $2.6 billion, with about $1.6 billion coming from the US.

According to Leerink, belzutifan-based regimens showed promising results in the Phase 3 LITESPARK-011 and LITESPARK-022 studies for adjuvant clear cell renal cell carcinoma and post-PD(L)1. The firm anticipates that the second-line belzutifan plus lenvatinib pair will be widely utilized by the FDA PDUFA time frame in October 2026.

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a healthcare company that offers human health pharmaceuticals, veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines & health management solutions and services.

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