BioPharma Earnings Bracing for Merck, Pfizer, Amgen, Gilead

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By Jon C. Ogg Published
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Pharmaceutical and Biotech investors are about to get a real show for earnings this week. Big Pharma will bring earnings from Dow Jones Industrial Average companies Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE). Meanwhile biotech investors will get to chew over Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) and Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) earnings.

What investors need to consider is that Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) took a lot of the earnings breath out of the biotech sector last week. Biogen’s earnings, guidance, and sales figures were so underwhelming that the report literally knocked out 22% of the value of the stock, taking its shares down to $300.03 from a prior close of $385.05 and a 52-week range of $290.85 to $480.18. That means Biogen is down over 37% from its 52-week highs. Biogen already had some wind out of its sails over mixed Alzheimer’s study results.

24/7 Wall St. has created previews for each earnings report. This includes relative performance and other key metrics.

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) reports on Tuesday morning comes into earnings with shares up only 2.7% or so year to date, and up only about 1.7% from a year ago. Thomson Reuters has consensus earnings estimates of $0.81 in earnings per share and $9.8 billion in revenues, down from the same quarter a year ago of $0.85 EPS and $10.9 billion in revenue.

With shares recently trading at $57.41, the consensus analyst price target is $65.47 and the 52-week range is $52.49 to $63.62. Merck has a 3.1% dividend yield. Merck’s market cap of $162 billion and the company is in a position that it could possibly decide to break itself up in the years or quarters ahead even if it is still enjoying the benefits of its Cubist acquisition.

ALSO READ: Did Celgene Earnings Give Good Coverage for All of Biotech?

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) also reports on Tuesday morning and is up almost 12% so far in 2015, and up almost 17% from this time a year ago. Thomson Reuters has consensus earnings estimates of $0.52 in earnings per share and $11.42 billion in revenues. This would compare to the results for same quarter a year ago of $0.58 EPS and $12.7 billion in revenue.

Pfizer shares were recently trading at $34.26, its consensus analyst price target is $38.25, and the 52-week range is $27.51 to $35.53. Pfizer has a 3.2% dividend yield. Pfizer’s market cap is $211 billion, but the company has been in a state of change beyond the Zoetis spin-off and beyond the pending Hospira acquisition.

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) is due to report earnings on Thursday afternoon and is heading into earnings up only 0.6% so far in 2015 — but still up a whopping 32.2% from this time a year ago. Thomson Reuters has consensus earnings estimates of $2.43 in earnings per share and $5.32 billion in revenues. This would compare to the results for same quarter a year ago of $2.37 EPS and $5.18 billion in revenue.

With shares recently trading at $158.60, the consensus analyst price target is $178.53 and Amgen’s 52-week range is $121.66 to $173.60. Amgen has been restructuring of late. Its shares slid by 3.4% on Friday due to Biogen and the stock has a 1.9% dividend yield. Amgen’s market cap is $120 billion.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) is due to report on Tuesday afternoon and comes into its earnings week up 20% so far in 2015 and up 25% versus a year ago. Thomson Reuters has consensus earnings estimates of $ in earnings per share and $ billion in revenues. This would compare to the results for same quarter a year ago of $ EPS and $ billion in revenue.

With shares recently trading at $112.80, the consensus analyst price target is $124.47 and the 52-week range is $85.95 to $123.37. Gilead was down 4.1% on Friday in sympathy with Biogen and it has a 1.5% dividend yield. Gilead is the king of biotech with its $166 billion market cap.

ALSO READ: Heavy Biotech Insider Selling of Shares

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About the Author Jon C. Ogg →

Jon Ogg has been a financial news analyst since 1997. Mr. Ogg set up one of the first audio squawk box services for traders called TTN, which he sold in 2003. He has previously worked as a licensed broker to some of the top U.S. and E.U. financial institutions, managed capital, and has raised private capital at the seed and venture stage. He has lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as New York and Chicago, and he now lives in Houston, Texas. Jon received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance at University of Houston in 1992. a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.

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