The Dow Jones Industrial Average has long been a bellwether for the overall health of the U.S. stock market, tracking 30 large publicly owned companies across various sectors. While the index has seen modest gains in 2024, one of its constituents has been significantly outperforming.

Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), a pharmaceutical giant known for its cancer immunotherapy drug Keytruda, has seen its stock surge 16.8% year-to-date. This impressive run follows aggressive buying by a handful of institutional investors, including billionaire Kenneth Griffin's Citadel Advisors, which purchased 1.25 million shares in the second quarter of 2024.

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Source Fool.com