Billionaire Prem Watsa’s Top 15 Long-Term Stock Picks

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

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86    

Fairfax Financial Holdings’ Stake: $19.6 million 

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) provides various health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. The following reasons highlight the company’s strength as an investment target. Firstly, in the report for the third quarter of 2024, the company’s operational excellence is highlighted. For instance, as per the above-mentioned report, total worldwide sales were $16.7 billion, an increase of 4% from the third quarter of 2023. Secondly, Moderna and Merck announced that Merck had exercised its option to jointly develop and commercialize personalized cancer vaccine (PCV) mRNA-4157/V940 pursuant to the terms of its existing Collaboration and License Agreement. mRNA-4157/V940 is currently being evaluated in combination with KEYTRUDA, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, as adjuvant treatment for patients with high-risk melanoma in a Phase 2 clinical trial being conducted by Moderna.

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