Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.46 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.43 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.04 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +1.05%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this world's biggest maker of health care products would post earnings of $2.77 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.8, delivering a surprise of +1.08%.Ove ...

For those looking to find strong Medical stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Arcellx, Inc. (ACLX) one of those stocks right now? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.Arcellx, Inc. is one of 932 companies in the Medical group. The Medical group currently sits at #8 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within ...

Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) reports results for the quarter ended December 2025. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on Janua ...

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) closed the most recent trading day at $209.72, moving +2.61% from the previous trading session. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.16%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.17%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.26%. Prior to today's trading, shares of the world's biggest maker of health care products had lost 3.4% lagged the Medical sector's gain of 2.84% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.89%.The upcoming earnings release of Johnson & Johnson will ...

Core Viewpoint - Merck is experiencing positive stock performance, with a notable increase in share price and projected earnings growth, indicating strong investor interest and optimism in the company's future performance [1][2][3]. Group 1: Stock Performance - Merck's stock closed at $110.99, reflecting a 2.2% increase from the previous trading session, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 0.01% [1]. - Over the prior period, Merck's shares have risen by 11.25%, significantly exceeding the Medical sector's gain of 2.01% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.86% [1]. Group 2: Earnings Projections - Merck is expected to report earnings of $2.08 per share on February 3, 2026, representing a year-over-year growth of 20.93% [2]. - The consensus estimate for revenue is projected at $16.18 billion, indicating a 3.56% increase from the same quarter last year [2]. Group 3: Annual Forecasts - For the entire year, Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $8.98 per share and revenue of $64.81 billion, reflecting changes of +17.39% and 0%, respectively, compared to the previous year [3]. - Recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Merck indicate a dynamic business environment, with positive revisions suggesting analyst optimism regarding profitability [3]. Group 4: Valuation Metrics - Merck's Forward P/E ratio stands at 12.97, which is below the industry average Forward P/E of 15.6, indicating a potential valuation discount [6]. - The PEG ratio for Merck is currently 1.11, compared to the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry average of 1.59, suggesting a favorable growth outlook relative to its price [6]. Group 5: Industry Context - The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, part of the Medical sector, holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 168, placing it in the bottom 32% of over 250 industries [7]. - The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the performance of industry groups, with top-rated industries historically outperforming lower-rated ones by a factor of 2 to 1 [7].

Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the "long context," investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.Even ...

Company Performance - Merck (MRK) closed at $106.45, reflecting a +1.34% change from the previous day, outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 0.32% [1] - The stock has decreased by 0.59% over the past month, underperforming the Medical sector's increase of 1.67% and the S&P 500's rise of 4.7% [1] Upcoming Earnings - Merck's upcoming EPS is projected at $2.08, indicating a 20.93% increase compared to the same quarter last year [2] - Revenue is expected to reach $16.18 billion, representing a 3.56% increase from the year-ago quarter [2] Full Year Projections - For the full year, earnings are projected at $8.98 per share and revenue at $64.81 billion, reflecting increases of +17.39% and +1% respectively from the prior year [3] - Recent analyst estimate revisions suggest positive sentiment towards Merck's business operations and profit generation capabilities [3] Valuation Metrics - Merck's Forward P/E ratio stands at 11.7, which is below the industry average of 14.45, indicating a discount relative to its peers [6] - The company has a PEG ratio of 1, compared to the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry's average PEG ratio of 1.64 [7] Industry Context - The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, part of the Medical sector, has a Zacks Industry Rank of 161, placing it in the bottom 35% of over 250 industries [8] - The Zacks Industry Rank measures the strength of industry groups based on the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks, with higher-ranked industries outperforming lower-ranked ones [8]

Industry Overview - The drug and biotech sector has shown recovery after a weak first half, with large drugmakers signing pricing agreements with the Trump administration [1] - Dealmaking activity surged in the second half, boosting investor confidence, with the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry outperforming the S&P 500 in the past three months [1][4] - Innovation is at its peak, particularly in areas like obesity, cell and gene therapy, and next-gen oncology treatments, attracting investor attention [2] - Despite headwinds such as pipeline setbacks and regulatory risks, the outlook for growth in 2026 remains favorable due to rapid innovation and increased use of AI in drug development [2] Eli Lilly - Eli Lilly has achieved significant success with its tirzepatide medicines, including diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight loss medicine Zepbound, which are key revenue drivers [6][7] - Strong sales growth in 2025 is attributed to international market launches and improved production, with continued demand expected in 2026 [7] - Lilly is investing in obesity treatments with new molecules in clinical development, including orforglipron and retatrutide, with regulatory applications filed for orforglipron [8][9] - Despite challenges like declining product prices and competition in the GLP-1 market, Lilly's stock has risen 39.3% year to date, with 2026 earnings estimates improving from $30.78 to $33.61 per share [10] Johnson & Johnson - J&J has shown strong operational performance in 2025, with double-digit revenue growth from key brands despite the loss of exclusivity for Stelara [11] - The Innovative Medicine segment is expected to accelerate growth in 2026, driven by key products and new launches [12] - J&J's MedTech business has improved, with growth driven by acquired cardiovascular businesses and new product launches expected to contribute to 2026 growth [13][14] - The company has advanced its pipeline significantly and is on an acquisition spree, with a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) and a stock rise of 43.3% year to date [17] AbbVie - AbbVie faces declining sales from Humira due to loss of exclusivity but has successfully launched new immunology medicines Skyrizi and Rinvoq, generating combined sales of $18.5 billion in the first nine months of 2025 [18][19] - Strong market growth and new indications for these drugs are expected to drive future growth, alongside contributions from newer drugs [20] - AbbVie anticipates a high single-digit CAGR through 2029, supported by robust performance from Skyrizi and Rinvoq, with a Zacks Rank of 3 and a stock rise of 28.2% year to date [21][22] Amgen - Amgen's revenue growth is driven by key medicines like Repatha and new biosimilars, compensating for declines from mature drugs [23][24] - The company is focusing on obesity treatments with its candidate MariTide, which differentiates itself with a convenient dosing method [24] - Amgen's stock has risen 27.3% year to date, with 2026 earnings estimates increasing from $21.43 to $21.62 per share [25] AstraZeneca - AstraZeneca has several blockbuster drugs exceeding $1 billion in sales, with newer products contributing to growth despite losses from mature brands [26][27] - The company expects to achieve industry-leading top-line growth through 2030, with plans to launch 20 new medicines and generate $80 billion in total revenues [28] - AstraZeneca faces challenges such as competition and regulatory impacts but maintains a stable earnings estimate of $5.15 per share for 2026, with a stock rise of 10.7% year to date [29][30]

Key Takeaways Five biotech stocks are highlighted for 2026 due to late-stage trials or upcoming FDA decisions.MindMed expects multiple phase III data readouts in 2026 for its lead program MM120.Ocugen, Kyverna and Celcuity face key inflection points tied to BLAs or pivotal clinical data.After a weak first half, the drug and biotech sector has recovered in the past 2-3 months with large drugmakers like Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk signing drug pricing agreements with the Trump administrati ...

Core Insights - The article highlights the performance and outlook of several stocks, including Microsoft, Novartis, RTX, and Air T, as analyzed by Zacks Equity Research [1][2]. Microsoft - Microsoft's shares have outperformed the Zacks Computer - Software industry over the past year, with a growth of 6.8% compared to the industry's 2.3% [4]. - The company holds a 25% market share in the cloud sector through Azure and integrates AI strategically via OpenAI, generating over $100 billion in annual operating cash flows with margins exceeding 40% [4]. - Fiscal 2026 net sales are expected to grow by 15.1% from fiscal 2025, but the company faces competition from AWS and Google Cloud, regulatory scrutiny, and rising capital expenditures for AI infrastructure [5]. Novartis - Novartis has outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past year, with a growth of 38.8% compared to 14.9% for the industry [6]. - The company has a diverse portfolio, including drugs like Kisqali and Pluvicto, with projected compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of 37.9% and 43.3% over the next three years [7]. - New drug approvals and label expansions are expected to mitigate the impact of generic competition for key drugs, supported by recent acquisitions and collaborations [8]. RTX - RTX's shares have outperformed the Zacks Aerospace - Defense industry over the past year, with a growth of 54.1% compared to 28.1% for the industry [9]. - The company has a backlog of $251 billion as of September 30, 2025, driven by strong demand for defense products and improving global commercial air traffic [10]. - However, uncertainties from U.S. government import tariffs and ongoing supply-chain challenges pose risks to RTX's performance [11]. Air T - Air T has outperformed the Zacks Transportation - Air Freight and Cargo industry over the past year, with a growth of 0.8% compared to a decline of 8.4% for the industry [12]. - The company shows operational strength with margin expansion in Commercial Aircraft & Engines and stable cash flow from FedEx feeder operations [12]. - Elevated leverage, rising interest costs, and execution risks across segments constrain earnings durability, with liquidity pressured by volatile working-capital needs [13].