Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Raised to $125.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its price target boosted by research analysts at Citigroup from $120.00 to $125.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Citigroup’s price objective points to a potential upside of 9.99% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Barclays began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK traded down $0.56 during trading on Friday, hitting $113.64. The stock had a trading volume of 8,943,558 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,972,410. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $115.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.44. The firm has a market cap of $280.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. This trade represents a 19.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares in the company, valued at $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.