Merck Will Host Q1 2014 Call At 8:00 AM EDT on Tuesday, April 29

This will be the next comprehensive look at Merck's financial performance. Management may appear at one or two investor conferences between now and then, but it won't be a real drill down on the current financial results.

So do tune in then -- we will, too. Here's a link to the MarketWatch NewsWire story of yesterday:

. . . .[Merck] will hold its first-quarter 2014 sales and earnings conference call with institutional investors and analysts at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 29. During the call, company executives will provide an overview of Merck’s performance for the quarter.

Investors, journalists and the general public may access a live audio webcast of the call on Merck’s website. Software needed to listen to the webcast is available on Merck’s website and should be downloaded prior to the beginning of the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be available at approximately 11:00 a.m. EDT on April 29 and will remain on the website for 12 months. The quarter's sales and earnings news release and supplemental financial disclosures also will be available in the Newsroom and Investor sections of the company's website.

Institutional investors and analysts can participate in the call by dialing (706) 758-9927 or (877) 381-5782 and using ID code number 17424702. Members of the media are invited to monitor the call by dialing (706) 758-9928 or (800) 399-7917 and using ID code number 17424702. Journalists who wish to ask questions are requested to contact a member of Merck's Media Relations team at the conclusion of the call. . . .

Look for currencies to pressure Merck's Q1 results. [Now, with Mercer ousting Duke this afternoon, many a bracket is well. . . busted. Mine included. So too, the President's though. In one of CBS's nationwide pools (sponsored by Quicken), only 16 people picked that particular outcome. There were likely more than a million entrants, as the prize for picking a perfect (error free) brakcet is. . . a cool billion dollars. Sweet. But no one is likely to claim it now. UPDATE: As of Sunday, and the latest upsets, there are no perfect brackets. So, Warren Buffet's insurance bet has paid off. He insured against Quicken having to pay out the billion, on a finished perfect bracket. He keeps the premium, and no one wins the billion.]