Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Price Target Raised at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Posted by Brian Himes on Oct 6th, 2026

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) had its price target lifted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $150.00 to $165.00 in a research note published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

MRK has been the subject of several other reports. Bank of America raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Leerink Partners increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, HSBC raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $146.36.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 3.2%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $139.61 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $344.45 billion, a PE ratio of 111.69, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $142.90 and its 200 day moving average is $127.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,755. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Graney & King LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.