Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Raised to $145.00

Key Points

• Guggenheim raised Merck’s price target from $140 to $145 and reiterated a buy rating, implying about 17.2% upside from the previous close.
• Other analysts are mixed on MRK: recent targets range from $113 to $138, while MarketBeat’s data shows an overall Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $133.
• Merck shares opened at $123.72 and the company recently beat quarterly expectations on revenue and EPS, while analysts expect full-year earnings of about 5.17 EPS.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by analysts at Guggenheim from $140.00 to $145.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Guggenheim's target price would indicate a potential upside of 17.20% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $133.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $123.72 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business's fifty day moving average price is $118.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $130.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $305.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.22 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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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