Equities researchers at Argus assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports. The firm set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock.
Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on MRK. Berenberg Bank boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.74.
View Our Latest Research Report on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.8%
Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $150.19 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $146.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.91 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $370.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 154.84, a PEG ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.13.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.58 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 135,635 shares of company stock worth $18,011,040 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,427 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,404,000 after acquiring an additional 1,154 shares during the last quarter. Csenge Advisory Group raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.3% in the third quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 14,478 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,104,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.9% during the third quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 3,667 shares of the company’s stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.8% during the third quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 4,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $641,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fingerlakes Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $227,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s broad advance provided a supportive backdrop for stocks, including healthcare shares; this looks like a market-wide tailwind rather than a Merck-specific catalyst. Stocks Surged Across the Board Today, and Biotech Brought Its Own Earnings Story
- Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Merck, while Freedom Broker reportedly forecast further appreciation, signaling supportive analyst sentiment. Cantor Fitzgerald Price Target Bump Freedom Broker Forecast
- Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted emergency-use authorization for a Merck treatment for screwworm in dogs, offering a potential near-term opportunity in animal health. Merck gets US FDA emergency use nod for treatment of screwworm in dogs
- Positive Sentiment: Merck began enrolling patients in a Phase 3 study of Ohtuvayre to assess whether it can prevent COPD exacerbations. The trial expands the drug’s potential, though results are not yet available. Merck Initiates Phase 3 Study of Ohtuvayre
- Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s pipeline is cited as a possible growth driver, but the company’s looming patent cliff remains a significant longer-term risk to growth. Merck’s Pipeline Could Be Its Next Big Growth Driver
- Negative Sentiment: DZ Bank cut its rating from Buy to Hold, setting a $153 price target that suggests limited upside from the price cited in the report. DZ Bank rating update
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.
Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.
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