Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Brokerages

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and seventeen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $156.08.

MRK has been the subject of several recent research reports. Argus lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $149.75 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $369.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.38, a PEG ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 0.21. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $146.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 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.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.58 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.80 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares of the company’s stock, 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 David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Round Rock Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,807 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,960,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Somerset Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,118,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

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.