15 Best Cheap Stocks to Buy for 2025

6. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Forward P/E Ratio as of January 15: 10.33

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 86

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a leading global pharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing, and delivering innovative medicines and vaccines to improve human and animal health. The company has consistently been at the forefront of medical advancements, addressing some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is developing an oral PCSK9 inhibitor, enlicitide, which is positioned as the most potent oral LDL-lowering medicine. This medicine aims to become a cost-effective oral solution to address the significant unmet need for LDL-lowering therapies. In the obesity market, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is focusing on specific subpopulations at risk of MASH and requiring significant weight loss. The company is also developing an oral GLP-1, efinopegdutide, which is expected to read out in Phase II. These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to address significant unmet needs in these markets and to bring novel, cost-effective solutions to patients.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has made significant strides in expanding its late-stage development pipeline, nearly tripling the number of assets from 9 in 2021 to 26 in 2024. This growth is not only in quantity but also in diversity, with a focus on oncology, cardiometabolic diseases, immunology, vaccines, and ophthalmology. The company has also made substantial investments through business development, spending nearly $40 billion over the last 3.5 years to bring in new assets. A notable example is the recent acquisition of EyeBio, which brings a new mechanism of action for treating wet AMD and diabetic macular edema, a condition with significant unmet need.