The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how branded pharmaceuticals stocks fared in Q3, starting with Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS).

Looking ahead, the branded pharmaceutical industry is positioned for tailwinds from advancements in precision medicine, increasing adoption of AI to enhance drug development efficiency, and growing global demand for treatments addressing chronic and rare diseases. However, headwinds include heightened regulatory scrutiny, pricing pressures from governments and insurers, and the looming patent cliffs for key blockbuster drugs. Patent cliffs bring about competition from generics, forcing branded pharmaceutical companies back to the drawing board to find the next big thing.

The 10 branded pharmaceuticals stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.5%.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 8.5% on average since the latest earnings results.

Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS)

Originally spun off from Pfizer in 2013 as the world's largest pure-play animal health company, Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS) discovers, develops, and sells medicines, vaccines, diagnostic products, and services for pets and livestock animals worldwide.

Zoetis reported revenues of $2.4 billion, flat year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with full-year revenue guidance slightly missing analysts’ expectations and revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is down 14% since reporting and currently trades at $124.18.

Is now the time to buy Zoetis? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q3: Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY)

Founded in 1876 by a Civil War veteran and pharmacist frustrated with the poor quality of medicines, Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) discovers, develops, and manufactures pharmaceutical products for conditions including diabetes, obesity, cancer, immunological disorders, and neurological diseases.

Eli Lilly reported revenues of $17.6 billion, up 53.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 9.7%. The business had a stunning quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and full-year revenue guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.

Eli Lilly pulled off the fastest revenue growth among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 28.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $1,041.

Is now the time to buy Eli Lilly? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Corcept (NASDAQ: CORT)

Focusing on the powerful stress hormone that affects everything from metabolism to immune function, Corcept Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CORT) develops and markets medications that modulate cortisol to treat endocrine disorders, cancer, and neurological diseases.

Corcept reported revenues of $207.6 million, up 13.7% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4%. It was a softer quarter as it posted full-year revenue guidance missing analysts’ expectations and a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Corcept delivered the highest full-year guidance raise but had the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 50.7% since the results and currently trades at $35.05.

Read our full analysis of Corcept’s results here.

Merck (NYSE: MRK)

With roots dating back to 1891 and a portfolio that includes the blockbuster cancer immunotherapy Keytruda, Merck (NYSE: MRK) develops and sells prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products across oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular, and other therapeutic areas.

Merck reported revenues of $17.28 billion, up 3.7% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 1.8%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also logged a solid beat of analysts’ constant currency revenue estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is up 26.1% since reporting and currently trades at $109.15.

Read our full, actionable report on Merck here, it’s free.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY)

With roots dating back to 1887 and a transformative merger in 1989 that gave the company its current name, Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) discovers, develops, and markets prescription medications for serious diseases including cancer, blood disorders, immunological conditions, and cardiovascular diseases.

Bristol-Myers Squibb reported revenues of $12.22 billion, up 2.9% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 3.7%. It was a very strong quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

The stock is up 27.6% since reporting and currently trades at $54.35.

Read our full, actionable report on Bristol-Myers Squibb here, it’s free.

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