Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Gets Price Target Bump from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised Merck’s price target to $165 from $150 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying 18.04% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with 16 Buy ratings and 11 Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average target price of $146.36.
• Merck shares fell 3.1% to $139.79 during Monday trading. Insiders sold approximately $30 million worth of stock over the past three months, while institutional investors own 76.07% of the company.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $150.00 to $165.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective suggests a potential upside of 18.04% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Leerink Partners increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $146.36.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 3.1%

MRK traded down $4.51 during trading on Monday, hitting $139.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,733,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,679,043. The firm has a market capitalization of $344.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 111.83, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.01 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $142.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $127.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

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

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Graney & King LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

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