Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Citigroup

Key Points

• Citigroup has reissued a "neutral" rating for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) with a new price target of $95.00, reflecting a potential upside of 10.44% from the current price.
• Merck's stock has faced mixed reviews, with other analysts providing ratings from "buy" to "hold," including a downgrade from Berenberg Bank reducing its price target from $100.00 to $90.00.
• The company reported earnings of $2.13 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations, and has an overall consensus rating of "Hold" with a target price of $105.00.

Analysts at Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a "neutral" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup's target price suggests a potential upside of 11.16% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.6%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $85.47. The stock had a trading volume of 1,149,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,924,742. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $111.58. The company has a market capitalization of $213.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.17, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $83.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $81.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The business had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MRK. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.