Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates for Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)

A number of research firms have changed their ratings and price targets for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK):

• 7/9/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley from $112.00 to $113.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 7/8/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada. They now have a $142.00 price target on the stock.
• 7/8/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $145.00 to $150.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 7/6/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its “neutral” rating reaffirmed by Cantor Fitzgerald. They now have a $120.00 price target on the stock.
• 7/4/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “buy” to “hold”.
• 6/30/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Bank of America Corporation from $130.00 to $141.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 6/30/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Scotiabank from $136.00 to $155.00. They now have a “sector outperform” rating on the stock.
• 6/24/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. is now covered by CICC Research. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock.
• 6/6/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “buy”.
• 5/16/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “buy” to “hold”.
• 5/15/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Weiss Ratings from “hold (c+)” to “hold (c)”.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

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.