Wednesday, March 18, 2026

The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), TotalEnergies SE (TTE) and Union Pacific Corp. (UNP). These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today.

You can see all of today’s research reports here >>>

Today's Featured Research Reports

Merck’s shares have outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the past six months (+42.2% vs. +16.1%). The company’s blockbuster drug, Keytruda, and new products have been driving sales. Animal Health is also contributing to growth. Though Keytruda will lose patent exclusivity in 2028, its sales are expected to remain strong until then. 

Merck has been making meaningful pipeline progress and is actively pursuing M&A deals to enhance its pipeline and diversify away from Keytruda. However, it faces several near-term challenges, including declining sales of Gardasil, potential competition for Keytruda and rising competitive and generic pressure on some of its drugs. 

However, Merck’s new products and strong pipeline progress have increased confidence that Merck may be able to maintain growth even after Keytruda loses exclusivity.

(You can read the full research report on Merck here >>>)

Shares of TotalEnergies have outperformed the Zacks Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry over the past six months (+45.4% vs. +40.2%). The company’s production is impacted by the Middle East crisis, but courtesy of its production outside the region, and higher oil prices will offset the impact. TotalEnergies is gaining from contributions coming from startups, acquired assets, well-spread LNG assets and upstream assets located in the new hydrocarbon-producing regions. 

Cost reduction initiatives will boost margins, and the company aims to generate 15-20% of sales from low-carbon business by 2040. TotalEnergies is investing in clean power generation and reducing emissions. 

Yet, TotalEnergies operates multiple assets globally, and in some regions, production might be impacted due to security concerns. It remains exposed to acquisition-related risks as these assets contribute a sizable volume to production.

(You can read the full research report on TotalEnergies here >>>)

Union Pacific’s shares have gained +9.3% over the past six months against the Zacks Transportation - Rail industry’s gain of +11.1%. This company, which has inked a deal to buy Norfolk Southern, is suffering big time as e-commerce sales have normalized and consumer markets have softened. Geopolitical uncertainty and high inflation continue to hurt consumer sentiment. Reduced fuel surcharge revenues, too, are a concern. 

Due to these headwinds, volumes are suffering. Operating ratio (operating expenses as a percentage of revenues) remains under pressure, mainly due to revenue woes. Given the soft freight market scenario, the revenue weakness is likely to persist. To combat the revenue weakness, UNP is looking to cut costs.

In the meantime, Union Pacific continues to pay dividends. UNP is also active on the buyback front. Considering all these factors, investors are advised to wait for a better entry point. Our thesis is supported by the Neutral recommendation on the stock.

(You can read the full research report on Union Pacific here >>>)

Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Micron Technology, Inc. (MU), Western Digital Corp. (WDC) and Barclays PLC (BCS).

Mark Vickery
Senior Editor

Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here>>>