Merck Q2 Earnings Preview

Merck & Co MRK releases its next round of earnings this Friday. Here's Benzinga's essential guide to Merck's Q2 earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue

Merck EPS will likely be near $1.03 while revenue will be around $10.29 billion, according to analysts.

In the same quarter last year, Merck posted EPS of $1.01 on sales of $9.93 billion. The Wall Street estimate would represent a 1.98 percent increase in the company's earnings. Sales would be up 3.63 percent on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past like this:

Stock Performance

Over the last 52-week period, shares are up 3.07 percent. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders can relax going into this earnings release. Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement.

Analyst estimates have adjusted higher for EPS and revenues over the past 90 days. The average rating by analysts on Merck stock is a Neutral. The strength of this rating has maintained conviction over the past 90 days.