Good MorningThe S&P 500 pulled back on Thursday following better-than-expected results from Walmart. The world's largest retailer reported top and bottom-line outperformance driven by strength in all categories. The bad news is that guidance is weak and forecasts growth to slow. The result is a 6% decline in WMT's share price and market top that may remain in place until later this year.
Next week could be a volatile one for the S&P 500. The market faces earnings reports from numerous retailers and a critical economic release due Friday. The January read of the PCE price index is due and likely to confirm sticky inflation. The market could enter a correction in this scenario due to the impact on the FOMC rate reduction timeline. The FOMC is expected to lower interest rates, but the timing is uncertain and may not be until 2026. Featured: Why Buffett and 100 members of Congress are Piling into this One Investment (Behind the Markets) 
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One of the most important things investors need to be aware of in the market is economic data, especially when the S&P 500 trades near or at its all-time highs, such as today. This is because the data will show investors what the charts won’t and that is whether the underlying economy ca... Read the Full Story |
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Stocks | | | U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday after reports showed that worries among consumers and businesses about President Donald Trump’s policies may be hitting the U.S. economy. The S&P 500 sank 1.7% for its worst day in two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 748 points, or 1.7%, and the N... Read the Full Story |
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High-profile stock market stories tend to carry a stigma for investors in the sense that few know whether it’s best to trade these names or just hold them for the long haul. Today, the largest share of attention and capital is centered around the technology sector in the United States, par... Read the Full Story |
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Stocks | | | A sharp slide for Walmart on Thursday helped pull Wall Street off of its record.The S&P 500 slipped 0.4% for its first drop after setting all-time highs in each of the last two days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 450 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.5%. Walmart drove the ma... Read the Full Story |
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Bridgewater Associates, founded by famed investor Ray Dalio, loaded up on shares of some big-name stocks in Q4. Bridgewater Associates recently released its Form 13F. Institutional investment managers with more than $100 million in discretionary control over 13F Securities must file this document.... Read the Full Story |
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Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) has had a wild ride over the past few months. In the weeks following Trump’s election victory, the stock soared 130%, reaching an all-time high in December before momentum stalled. Since then, shares have fallen more than 25%, with investors taking profits an... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | | Walmart delivered another year of strong sales and profits with its competitive prices an increasingly strong magnet for inflation-weary shoppers, but this year appears to come with new challenges in an uncertain economic landscape Read the Full Story |
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Walmart's (NYSE: WMT) February price correction is a buying signal for long-term investors. The drop is due to slowing growth and tariff fears but does little to alter the long-term outlook for earnings, cash flow, equity gains, and capital return. While slower growth and tariffs are headwi... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | | Giant wind turbines tower over a cemetery sacred to Zoyla Velasquez and her Indigenous Wayuu community, native to the La Guajira region in northern Colombia.This arid, wind-swept region, dotted with cacti and roaming herds of goats, holds immense potential to position Colombia as a wind and solar en... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | | Inflation in the U.K. rose to a 10-month high in January, official figures showed Wednesday, an increase that will likely diminish expectations of rapid interest rate reductions from the Bank of England.The Office for National Statistics said inflation, as measured by the consumer prices index, rose... Read the Full Story |
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Friday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Merck & Co., Inc. is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products. The Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets animal health products, such as pharmaceutical and vaccine products, for the prevention, treatment and control of disease in livestock, and companion animal species. The Other segment consists of sales for the non-reportable segments of healthcare services. The company was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Rahway, NJ. | Should I Buy Merck & Co., Inc. Stock? MRK Bull and Bear Case Explained
These insights were generated using artificial intelligence. They are based on proprietary MarketBeat data, news articles, and custom LLM A.I. algorithms. This analysis of Merck & Co., Inc. was last updated on Wednesday, June 04, 2025 at 6:25 PM.
Merck & Co., Inc. Bull Case -
Merck has recently seen a significant increase in institutional investment, with over 76% of its stock owned by institutional investors, indicating strong confidence in the company's future performance.
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The current stock price is around $109, reflecting a moderate buy consensus among analysts, which suggests potential for growth.
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Merck's diverse portfolio of products, including its latest offerings, positions the company well in the pharmaceutical market, potentially leading to sustained revenue growth.
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Recent upgrades and positive ratings from several brokerages, including a "buy" rating from Guggenheim, highlight analysts' optimism about Merck's future prospects.
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Merck's strong financial performance, with substantial holdings reported by major investment firms, suggests a solid foundation for future growth and stability.
Merck & Co., Inc. Bear Case -
Some analysts have downgraded their ratings on Merck, with Citigroup reducing its price target significantly, which may indicate concerns about the company's short-term performance.
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Merck's stock has experienced fluctuations, and recent price adjustments by analysts suggest potential volatility that could affect investor returns.
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Despite strong institutional support, the presence of sell ratings from some analysts may create uncertainty for potential investors.
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Market conditions and competition in the pharmaceutical industry could pose risks to Merck's growth trajectory, impacting its stock performance.
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Investors should consider the overall economic environment, as external factors could influence Merck's operational performance and stock value.
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