Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $146.36

Key Points

• Analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus on Merck, with 16 buy ratings and 11 holds among 27 firms. The average 12-month price target is $146.36, though recent targets range from $138 to $180.
• Merck reported quarterly revenue of $16.61 billion, exceeding estimates, while adjusted EPS of $(0.13) beat the consensus loss estimate. Revenue increased 5.1% year over year, and full-year 2026 EPS guidance is $2.66–$2.76.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.85 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield. Meanwhile, insiders sold roughly 228,238 shares worth $30 million over the past three months, and institutional investors own 76.07% of the stock.

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $146.36.

Several research firms have weighed in on MRK. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. 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. Wolfe Research boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $139.61 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $344.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 111.69, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.01 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $142.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $127.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $11,470,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company's stock worth $331,931,000 after acquiring an additional 51,393 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,184,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $794,577,000 after acquiring an additional 402,011 shares in the last quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $995,000. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 410.5% during the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 705,442 shares of the company's stock worth $74,255,000 after purchasing an additional 567,249 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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