Merck results miss in Q2

Merck (NYSE: MRK) posted second-quarter results today that missed the consensus forecast on Wall Street, though the company expects up to 14% sales growth this year.

The Kenilworth, N.J.–based pharmaceutical giant reported profits of $1.213 billion, or 48¢, off $11.402 billion in sales, nearly halving its bottom line while boosting sales 19% from Q2 2020. Merck adjusted earnings and revenue to take into account its June 2021 spinoff of Organon, which brought Merck a $9 billion windfall.

Adjusted to exclude one-time items, earnings per share were $1.31, 13¢ behind The Street, where analysts looked for EPS of $1.44 on sales of $11.54 billion.

Related: FDA approves Merck’s Keytruda to treat certain types of breast cancer

“We are encouraged by the strong momentum of our underlying business led by our key growth drivers as the impact of the pandemic on our performance lessens,” said Merck CEO Rob Davis said in a news release. “We are confident that we …

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