Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, drug behemoth Merck (NYSE: MRK ) has earned a respected four-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Merck and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Merck facts
| Headquarters (founded) | Whitehouse Station, N.J. (1891) |
| Market Cap | $146.6 billion |
| Industry | Pharmaceuticals |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $46.2 billion |
| Management | Chairman/CEO Kenneth Frazier |
| Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) | 8.7% |
| Cash / Debt | $16.0 billion / $20.8 billion |
| Dividend Yield | 3.5% |
| Competitors | GlaxoSmithKline |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 93% of the 2,928 members who have rated Merck believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last month, one of those Fools, All-Star joryko, succinctly summed up the Merck bull case for our community:
Long-term outperform for a steady Eddie in a strong industry.
-Incredibly strong drug pipeline
-3.6% [dividend yield]
-Broad demographic shift toward more demand for their goods
-Somewhat expensive, but justified, as it is a great defensive selection
5+ year outperform as Merck looks to reinvigorate its sales with 6 quality drugs in its pipeline.
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