Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Price Target Raised at Cantor Fitzgerald

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald raised Merck’s price target from $120 to $145 while maintaining a “neutral” rating, implying roughly 1.64% upside from the reported share price.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: Merck has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $151.32, based on 17 Buy and 10 Hold ratings.
• Merck exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $16.61 billion in revenue and EPS of $(0.13), while insiders have collectively sold nearly $30 million of shares over the past three months.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $120.00 to $145.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald's price target would suggest a potential upside of 1.64% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on MRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $142.66 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $351.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 114.12, a P/E/G ratio of 6.18 and a beta of 0.21. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $143.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.96. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $41,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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