Former parent is the better pick

Article Excerpt

Merck—like other big pharmaceutical makers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson—recently spun off some of its legacy businesses. Merck’s split came in June 2021 with the creation of Organon & Co. Investors received one share in the new firm for every 10 Merck shares they held. Since the Organon spinoff, its former parent has gained 32%, which is far better than the 6% decline for the S&P 500 Index over that same period. However, Organon has dropped 26%. That kind of decline is typical for new firms given they need time to build a following with investors and brokers. Studies show that spinoffs tend to outperform comparable stocks for several years, and we expect this split will ultimately pay off for investors. For now, however, we prefer Merck for your new buying. MERCK & CO. INC. $100 is a buy. The stock (New York symbol MRK; Manufacturing sector; Shares outstanding: 2.5 billion; Market cap: $250.0 billion; Dividend yield: 2.8%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.merck.com) is a leader in…