Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Argus

Research analysts at Argus began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports. The brokerage set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on MRK. DZ Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $153.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price 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, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, October 3rd. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $150.19 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.91 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.55 billion, a PE ratio of 154.84, a P/E/G ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.13. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $146.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.26.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,569,312.29. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 135,635 shares of company stock worth $18,011,040 in the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after buying an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company's stock worth $1,858,938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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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