Most-Upgraded StocksMost-UpgradedNYSE:MRK Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Stock Price, News & Analysis $146.90 -0.04 (-0.03%) Closing price 11/6/2026 03:59 PM EasternExtended Trading$146.60 -0.29 (-0.20%) As of 11/6/2026 07:59 PM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more. Add Compare Share Share Stock Analysis Stock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFDA EventsFinancialsInsider TradesNews and TrendsOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort Interest About Merck & Co., Inc. Stock (NYSE:MRK) View Price History Chart DataSkip Price History Chart 1 Day 5 Days 30 Days 90 Days 1 Year Advanced 1 Day 1 Day 5 Days 30 Days 90 Days 1 Year Advanced Show volume Show extended hours Get Merck & Co., Inc. alerts:Sign Up Key Stats Today's Range$142.80▼$147.4850-Day Range$139.61▼$152.3252-Week Range$85.24▼$156.92Volume7.63 million shsAverage Volume10.69 million shsMarket Capitalization$362.42 billionP/E Ratio151.44Dividend Yield2.31%Price Target$155.74Consensus RatingModerate Buy Company Overview Merck & Co., Inc. is a global pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal-health products. The company’s research and commercial activities span areas including oncology, infectious diseases, vaccines, cardiovascular disease and immunology. Its products include the cancer medicine Keytruda and the Gardasil vaccine. Founded in the United States in 1891, Merck & Co. became an independent company in 1917. It is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates internationally. Outside the United States and Canada, the company is generally known as MSD. Merck serves patients, healthcare providers and animal-health customers in markets around the world. Robert M. Davis has served as the company’s chief executive officer since 2021.AI Generated. May Contain Errors. Read More Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Analysis - MarketRank™See Top-Rated MarketRank™ Stocks92nd Percentile Overall ScoreMRK MarketRank™: 4.57879695155 of 5 starsMerck & Co., Inc. scored higher than 92% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 20th out of 886 stocks in the healthcare sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation. Analyst's Opinion2.8 / 5Analyst RatingModerate Buy Consensus RatingMerck & Co., Inc. has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.59, and is based on 1 strong buy rating, 16 buy ratings, 11 hold ratings, and 1 sell rating.Upside/DownsideThe consensus price target for Merck & Co., Inc. is close to its current price, suggesting limited near-term upside or downside.Amount of Analyst CoverageMerck & Co., Inc. has been the subject of 24 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.Read more about Merck & Co., Inc.'s stock forecast and price target. Earnings and Valuation1.9 / 5Proj. Earnings Growth221.13% Earnings GrowthEarnings for Merck & Co., Inc. are expected to grow by 221.13% in the coming year, from $2.84 to $9.12 per share.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the MarketThe P/E ratio of Merck & Co., Inc. is 151.44, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 26.38.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. SectorThe P/E ratio of Merck & Co., Inc. is 151.44, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Healthcare sector average P/E ratio of about 34.66.Price to Earnings Growth RatioMerck & Co., Inc. has a PEG Ratio of 6.68. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.Price to Book Value per Share RatioMerck & Co., Inc. has a P/B Ratio of 8.06. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities. Short Interest5.0 / 5Short Interest LevelHealthy Percentage of Shares Shorted1.09% of the float of Merck & Co., Inc. has been sold short.Short Interest Ratio / Days to CoverMerck & Co., Inc. has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 2.97, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.Change versus previous monthShort interest in Merck & Co., Inc. has recently decreased by 5.12%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly. Dividend3.3 / 5Dividend StrengthStrong Dividend YieldMerck & Co., Inc. pays a meaningful dividend of 2.32%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.Dividend GrowthMerck & Co., Inc. has been increasing its dividend for 14 years.Dividend CoverageThe dividend payout ratio of Merck & Co., Inc. is 350.52%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable.Dividend SustainabilityBased on earnings estimates, Merck & Co., Inc. will have a dividend payout ratio of 37.28% next year. This indicates that Merck & Co., Inc. will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.Read more about Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend. News and Social Media4.3 / 5News Sentiment0.95 News SentimentMerck & Co., Inc. has a news sentiment score of 0.95. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.38 average news sentiment score of Healthcare companies.News Coverage This WeekMarketBeat has tracked 62 news articles for Merck & Co., Inc. this week, compared to 10 articles on an average week.Search Interest52 people have searched for MRK on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 8% compared to the previous 30 days.MarketBeat Follows41 people have added Merck & Co., Inc. to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is an increase of 310% compared to the previous 30 days. Company Ownership1.4 / 5Insider TradingSelling Shares Insider Buying vs. Insider SellingIn the past three months, Merck & Co., Inc. insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $18,011,040.00 in company stock.Percentage Held by Insiders0.17% of the stock of Merck & Co., Inc. is held by insiders.Percentage Held by Institutions76.07% of the stock of Merck & Co., Inc. is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.Read more about Merck & Co., Inc.'s insider trading history. Receive MRK Stock News and Ratings via Email Sign-up to receive the latest news and ratings for Merck & Co., Inc. and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter. Submit View SMS TermsSMS is currently available in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By entering your phone number and clicking the sign-up button, you agree to receive periodic text messages from MarketBeat at the phone number you submitted, including texts that may be sent using an automatic telephone dialing system. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency will vary. Messages will consist of stock alerts, news stories, and partner advertisements/offers. Consent is not a condition of the purchase of any goods or services. Text HELP for help/customer support. Unsubscribe at any time by replying "STOP" to any text message that you receive from MarketBeat or by visiting our mailing preferences page. Read our full terms of service and privacy policy. MRK Stock News HeadlinesMerck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Wall Street ZenNovember 7 at 2:44 AM | americanbankingnews.comMerck Stock Shows Sustained Strength: Time to Buy, Sell or Hold?November 6 at 6:04 PM | finance.yahoo.comMy public warning after 55 years of watching the marketsDr. Martin D. Weiss has publicly predicted six major American market crashes over his 55-year career, each warning issued before the crisis hit. Now the founder of Weiss Ratings, the only conflict-free rating agency in America, says he is watching a $3 trillion problem that could trigger a chain reaction across markets and banks. | Weiss Ratings (Ad)Business Development Supports Merck & Co.’s (MRK) Next Growth ChapterNovember 5 at 4:47 PM | finance.yahoo.comMerck and Moderna's Cancer Vaccine Worked—Who Gets Paid? (MRK)Merck and Moderna's melanoma vaccine cut recurrence risk 42% in a Phase 3 trial, but results fell short of hopes, sending Moderna shares down sharply while Merck stock barely moved.October 27, 2026 | marketbeat.comMerck and Moderna's Cancer Vaccine Worked—Who Gets Paid? (MRK)Merck and Moderna's melanoma vaccine cut recurrence risk 42% in a Phase 3 trial, but results fell short of hopes, sending Moderna shares down sharply while Merck stock barely moved.October 27, 2026 | marketbeat.comBuy the Dip: 4 Stocks the Market Marked Down Too Far Ahead of Big Catalysts (MRK)MercadoLibre, Novo Nordisk, Tyler Technologies and Summit Therapeutics trade below recent highs, yet each has earnings or catalysts that could shift sentiment.October 26, 2026 | marketbeat.com3 Stocks With Yields Big Enough to Make Election Volatility Easier to Stomach (MRK)Lincoln National, AbbVie and Phillips 66 offer dividends that pay investors through midterm volatility, backed by rising rates, steady drug demand and oil risk.October 23, 2026 | marketbeat.comSee More Headlines MRK Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions How have MRK shares performed this year? Merck & Co., Inc.'s stock was trading at $105.20 at the beginning of the year. Since then, MRK shares have increased by 39.6% and is now trading at $146.8960. How were Merck & Co., Inc.'s earnings last quarter? Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) issued its earnings results on Thursday, October, 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Read the conference call transcript. Is Merck & Co., Inc. buying back stock? Merck & Co., Inc.'s Board of Directors initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th 2025, which authorizes the company to buy back $10 billion in shares, according to EventVestor. This means that the company could buy up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued. Who are Merck & Co., Inc.'s major shareholders? Merck & Co., Inc.'s top institutional shareholders include Fisher Asset Management LLC (1.69%), Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. (0.24%), Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich (0.13%) and Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. (0.09%). Insiders that own company stock include Robert M Davis, Richard R Deluca, Dean Y Li, Caroline Litchfield, Jennifer Zachary, Chirfi Guindo, David Michael Williams, Steven Mizell, Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen, Joseph Romanelli, David R Maraldo, Dalton E Smart III, Cristal N Downing and Inge G Thulin. View institutional ownership trends. How do I buy shares of Merck & Co., Inc.? Shares of MRK stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services. What other stocks do shareholders of Merck & Co., Inc. own? Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Merck & Co., Inc. investors own include Pfizer (PFE), NVIDIA (NVDA), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), AbbVie (ABBV), Verizon Communications (VZ), Chevron (cvx) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM). Company Calendar Record date for 10/7 Dividend9/15/2026Ex-Dividend for 10/7 Dividend9/15/2026Dividend Payable10/07/2026Last Earnings10/29/2026Today11/07/2026Fiscal Year End12/31/2026Get Stock Alerts Health Indicator TradeSmith's Health IndicatorA long-term volatility-based measure designed for securities held 12 months or longer.Green: Strong and healthy uptrend with normal pullbacks.Yellow: Significant pullback but still within expected volatility.Red: Dropped beyond expected volatility; considered unhealthy. Green Zone (6m+) 1-Year History Nov 25 Feb 26 May 26 Aug 26 Nov 26 MRK's financial health is in the Green zone, according to TradeSmith. MRK has been in this zone for over 6 months. Industry, Sector and Symbol Stock ExchangeNYSE SectorHealthcare Industry Pharmaceuticals Sub-IndustryPharmaceuticals Current SymbolNYSE:MRK CIK310158 Webwww.merck.com Phone(908) 740-4000Fax908-735-1253Employees75,000Year Founded1891Price Target and Rating Average Price Target for Merck & Co., Inc.$155.74 High Price Target$180.00 Low Price Target$105.00 Potential Upside/Downside+6.0%Consensus RatingModerate Buy Rating Score (0-4)2.59 Research Coverage29 Analysts Profitability EPS (Trailing Twelve Months)$0.97 Trailing P/E Ratio151.44 Forward P/E Ratio16.11 P/E Growth6.68Net Income$18.25 billion Net Margins3.64% Pretax Margin7.07% Return on Equity16.73% Return on Assets5.88% Debt Debt-to-Equity Ratio1.11 Current Ratio1.35 Quick Ratio1.10 Sales & Book Value Annual Sales$67.38 billion Price / Sales5.38 Cash Flow$11.43 per share Price / Cash Flow12.85 Book Value$18.22 per share Price / Book8.06Miscellaneous Outstanding Shares2,467,172,000Free Float2,462,978,000Market Cap$362.42 billion OptionableOptionable Beta0.13 Social Links The Infrastructure's Backbone: 10 Stocks Powering the AI BuildoutThe AI boom extends far beyond the biggest tech names. Discover 10 companies supplying the memory, storage, networking, semiconductor manufacturing, and power infrastructure that make AI possible. Learn where the next wave of AI investment opportunities may emerge—and the key risks investors should watch as the global AI buildout accelerates.Get This Free Report This page (NYSE:MRK) was last updated on 11/6/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff. From Our PartnersEvery Starlink dish pays this stockThere's a chip inside every Tesla and Starlink dish that Elon doesn't own. He pays royalties to use it. Now...Behind the Markets | SponsoredMy public warning after 55 years of watching the marketsDr. Martin D. 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