Merck & Co. (MRK) shares traded at an all-time high ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚThursday after the pharmaceutical company post꧟ed a surprisingly positive adjusted profit after sales jumped for its cancer drugs and vaccines.

The company reported a fourth-quarter loss of $1.23 billion, attributable to charges it took related to a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:collaboration with Japan’s Daiichi Sankyo to develop three cancer treatments. Taking out those costs, Merck’s 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:earnings per share (EPS) came in at 3 cents. Analysts had been anticipating a loss. Revenue was up 6% to $14.63 billion, more than estimates.

The gains were driven by demand for Merck’s popular cancer medicine, Keytruda, which had a 21% jump in sales, an♔d its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, which registered a 27% sales increa♍se. 

Chief Executive Officer Robert Davis said that Merck reached more than half a billion people with its medicines in 2023, and that the company invested about $30 billion in 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:research and development (R&D) in the last year. 

Merck noted it ant꧋icipates full-year EPS of $8.44 to $8.59, ♋beating expectations. It sees sales in the range of $62.7 billion to $64.2 billion, in line with forecasts.

Shares of Merck gained 4.7% to finish Thursday's session at $126.42, an all-time closing high for the stock.