Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Rating Lowered by Jefferies Financial Group

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 20th, 2026

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Argus increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.50.

Get Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $152.21 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.74. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.58 and a 12-month high of $153.50. The firm has a market cap of $375.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 121.77, a P/E/G ratio of 5.83 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

Positive Sentiment: Phase 3 melanoma success: Moderna and Merck said their individualized mRNA vaccine, intismeran, combined with Merck’s Keytruda, met the primary endpoint in a large Phase 3 trial. The combination significantly extended recurrence-free survival and reduced the risk of melanoma spreading compared with Keytruda alone. This represents the first positive late-stage result for a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine. Merck, Moderna say melanoma skin cancer vaccine meets goals in large trial
Positive Sentiment: New growth opportunity for Keytruda: The results could expand Merck’s oncology franchise by pairing Keytruda with a mutation-targeted vaccine. The companies believe thousands of high-risk melanoma patients could eventually benefit, pending regulatory approval targeted for 2027. Similar trials are underway in lung, pancreatic, breast and other cancers. Why this mRNA cancer vaccine is raising new treatment hope
Positive Sentiment: Strategic importance before patent expiry: A successful vaccine-Keytruda combination could help support Merck’s oncology pipeline as Keytruda’s patent protection is expected to expire later this decade. Unusually heavy call-option activity also indicated heightened bullish trading interest.
Neutral Sentiment: Broader market support: Relief in bond markets helped lift rate-sensitive healthcare stocks generally, providing an additional supportive backdrop for Merck’s move. However, the company’s advance was primarily tied to the vaccine announcement.
Negative Sentiment: Important uncertainties remain: The companies released topline results, while investors and analysts await complete trial data. The vaccine still requires regulatory approval, and the commercial opportunity, pricing and longer-term benefits are not yet established. Merck also faces substantial future pressure from Keytruda’s eventual loss of exclusivity.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.