A study of analyst recommendations at the major brokerages shows that Merck & Co Inc (Symbol: MRK) is the #7 broker pick, on average, out of the 30 stocks making up the Dow Jones Industrial Average, according to ETF Channel. Merck & Co Inc also comes in above the median of analyst picks among the broader S&P 500 index components, claiming the #102 spot out of 500.
Below is a chart of rank over time:

MRK operates in the Drugs & Pharmaceuticals sector, among companies like Eli Lilly (LLY) which is off about 0.1% today, and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) trading lower by about 1.3%. Below is a three month price history chart comparing the stock performance of MRK, versus LLY and JNJ.
MRK is currently trading down about 0.7% midday Tuesday.
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Further MRK Research:
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