We recently published a list of 8 Best Low Volatility Stocks To Buy Right Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) stands against other best low volatility stocks to buy right now.
The market has shown strong performance overall, with the S&P 500 up nearly 26% year to date. However, in the past thirty days, it has experienced a slight decline of 1%. A notable sell-off occurred between December 17 and 19, which contributed to some volatility. Since then, the market has been fluctuating, with prices rising and falling as investors continue to navigate the uncertainty.
Optimism for High Growth Despite High Rates and Debt
In a CNBC interview, Alan Rechtschaffen, Senior Portfolio Manager at UBS Global Wealth, stressed that he maintains a positive outlook on market growth, emphasizing that the current market sell-off is driven by a lack of faith rather than fundamental issues. He noted that the positivity surrounding the market will improve as President Trump’s policies take effect.
Rechtschaffen acknowledged concerns over high interest rates and high debt levels but argued that the Fed’s goal of lowering rates, combined with efforts to reduce spending and increase efficiency, will lead to high growth. He is particularly optimistic about sectors like technology, utilities, and financials, which he believes will benefit from a focus on new energy sources and deregulation. Although valuations are higher than usual, Rechtschaffen believes that with the right efficiencies in place, the market could see a 10% rise, offering opportunities for investors willing to take risks in this promising period.
Fed’s Shifting Rate Path Sparks Concerns in the Market
The path of rate cuts in 2025 is creating uncertainty for Wall Street as the Fed’s outlook shifted last week, now forecasting two cuts instead of four. The possibility of a rate hike has not been ruled out if inflation re-accelerates. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly told Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi that adjustments could be made depending on data, but she doesn’t see inflationary pressures at the moment. However, she isn’t ruling out anything.
On Yahoo Finance’s Catalysts, Max Wasserman of Miramar Capital said that he believes the economy is stronger than anticipated, with GDP growth around 3% and inflation at 2.7%, which reduces the need for aggressive rate cuts. He also suggested that a rate hike could become more likely in the second half of 2025 if inflation remains persistent.
Wasserman advised a more cautious approach in portfolio management, favoring de-risking strategies, such as taking profits from top-performing stocks and focusing on dividend stocks. He also recommended staying short-term on bonds, as rising interest rates could pressure longer-duration bonds. Additionally, he expressed concerns about potential inflationary policies from the incoming administration, such as changes to immigration or tariffs, which could further strain the economy and complicate the Fed’s path forward.
Our Methodology
For this article, we used the Yahoo Finance stocks screener to identify 30 companies with the largest market cap and a 5-year beta (monthly) between 0.2 and 0.8. Next, we narrowed our list to 8 stocks most widely held by institutional investors. The 8 best low-risk stocks to buy are listed in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A close-up of a person’s hand holding a bottle of pharmaceuticals.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)
5-year Beta (Monthly): 0.41
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is a prominent global healthcare company that focuses on the research, development, and commercialization of a wide range of pharmaceutical products. With a strong product pipeline, the company is particularly well-known for Keytruda, a leading immuno-oncology treatment that has achieved significant success in treating various cancers.
Keytruda remains a key driver of the company’s growth, although the U.S. patent exclusivity for the drug is set to expire in 2028. To address this challenge, Merck (NYSE:MRK) is working on a subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda, aimed at targeting an estimated 50% of the patient population projected for the drug by 2028.
In addition to its efforts with Keytruda, it is taking proactive steps to strengthen its pipeline. Merck (NYSE:MRK) recently partnered with LaNova Medicines, a privately held Chinese biopharma firm, to develop LM-299, a bispecific antibody. LM-299 is an experimental drug that targets two important proteins: PD-1 and VEGF. By blocking these proteins, it aims to boost the immune system and prevent the growth of new blood vessels, which can support cancer growth.
Furthermore, on December 16, the company announced a licensing agreement with Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharma company. Under the terms of this deal, it has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize HS-10535, a preclinical-stage candidate with potential applications in treating cardiometabolic disorders such as obesity and possibly type 2 diabetes.
Overall, MRK ranks 6th on our list of best low volatility stocks to buy right now. While we acknowledge the potential of MRK as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MRK but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
