Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) - Analysts at Erste Group Bank decreased their FY2027 earnings estimates for shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note issued on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $9.52 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $9.54. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.'s current full-year earnings is $2.76 per share.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS.
A number of other research firms also recently issued reports 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 report on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $147.60.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.0%
Shares of MRK opened at $148.30 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.58 and a twelve 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $365.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 118.64, a PEG ratio of 6.22 and a beta of 0.19. The firm's 50-day moving average is $131.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.45.
Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 17.4% during the second quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 965 shares of the company's stock worth $124,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,679,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $472,870,000 after acquiring an additional 44,516 shares during the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 254.7% in the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 260,892 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,528,000 after acquiring an additional 187,341 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $79,559,000. Finally, Financial Insights Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $227,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
(
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Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.
Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.
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