Jim Cramer’s Game Plan: 15 Stocks in Focus

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

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86

Discussing the global healthcare company, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), Cramer said:

“We also hear from two huge drug companies, Merck and Pfizer. Merck, despite some excellent acquisitions, it’s still all about Keytruda. It’s a revolutionary cancer treatment that just keeps working against so many different varieties of disease. I bet the numbers will be good, but there are other issues. I also want to get more of a readout on the drugs that Merck picked up in its recent wave of acquisitions, one for pulmonary arterial hypertension and a whole immunology franchise… Then again, if you want yield in this market, I’d much rather own Merck or Pfizer.”

In early January, Cramer mentioned Merck (NYSE:MRK) and noted:

“How about Merck? Okay, now here’s a company with the single greatest anti-cancer franchise of all time. It’s called Keytruda, but I think it’s not getting enough credit for an acquisition it made in 2021, that was the purchase of Acceleron for $11.5 billion. With that acquisition, they got this drug called Winrevair. It is approved by the FDA, just this last year for an almost always fatal disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension… They (the company) also have a shot, Gardasil, that protects against HPV. It’s [a] very common STD, that can cause cervical cancer. It’s a true lifesaver. Women have been using it for years. [The] Chinese government recently approved it for men too. But for some reason, Merck’s having a problem with its Chinese distribution and women. Weird situation going on over there. Right now, the stock’s well-ensconced a few points around 52-week low.”