Zacks Research downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks reports.
Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on MRK. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.92.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $148.19 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $146.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $129.67. The firm has a market cap of $365.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.55, a P/E/G ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.21. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 272.00%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% 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 valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.
Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth approximately $11,470,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,931,000 after buying an additional 51,393 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,184,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $794,577,000 after acquiring an additional 402,011 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,073,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,403,000 after acquiring an additional 227,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Talon Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $995,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Merck’s newer cancer treatments and encouraging Phase 3 melanoma results may help broaden its oncology franchise and reduce reliance on Keytruda. Investors are assessing whether these products can become meaningful growth drivers before Keytruda faces patent-related competition. How Investors Are Reacting To Merck Phase 3 Melanoma Results
- Positive Sentiment: The company’s diversified drug portfolio, research investments and dividend—approximately a 2.4% yield—provide support for investors seeking income while waiting for newer therapies to offset future Keytruda pressure. Merck also previously raised its 2026 sales outlook. Merck’s 2.4% Dividend Yield
- Neutral Sentiment: Merck KGaA agreed to acquire Silence Therapeutics for approximately $1.3 billion in cash, including $20 per American depositary share. The deal could strengthen the German company’s pipeline, but Merck KGaA is a separate company from U.S.-listed Merck & Co. (MRK), so the transaction does not directly affect MRK’s earnings or stock.
- Negative Sentiment: Keytruda’s concentration creates a significant patent-cliff risk. New treatments must scale rapidly enough to replace a large portion of sales and profits when competition arrives, adding uncertainty to Merck’s valuation and long-term growth outlook. Merck Has New Cancer Treatments
- Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of MRK, indicating some short-term institutional or systematic selling pressure despite the company’s underlying growth initiatives. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Merck
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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