What will next Tuesday bring? We don't know -- but we do know that New Merck will not provide 2010 guidance until Q2 2010, according to CEO Clark's earlier statements.
Here is the Motley Fool's take:
. . . .Let's start with Merck. The pharmaceuticals giant has spent the past few years battling Vioxx lawsuits. Unfortunately, Merck has also been slugging it out on the bottom line. If Merck falls short of matching the $0.87-a-share profit it posted during the previous year's fourth quarter, it will have posted year-over-year net income declines in three of last four quarters. A fat 4.1% dividend can only take you so far if your fundamentals are shrinking. . . .
As ever, I'll live-blog the year-end earnings call, on next Tuesday morning, starting at 7:25 am EST, right here -- so do tune in.
