Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase raised its price target on Merck to $135 from $125 and kept an overweight rating, implying roughly an 11.8% upside from the stock's midday price of $120.78.
• Merck beat quarterly expectations with $2.04 EPS vs. $2.01 expected and $16.40B revenue vs. $16.19B, and set FY2026 guidance of $5.00–$5.15 EPS.
• Insiders sold 320,176 shares worth about $38.3 million over the last three months, while institutional investors hold roughly 76.1% of the company, including large new stakes from Norges Bank and Wellington.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target would indicate a potential upside of 11.78% from the company's current price.

MRK has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $127.59.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $120.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,781,738 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,767,614. The firm has a market cap of $298.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $125.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 30,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,759,460.58. This represents a 13.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after acquiring an additional 11,156,354 shares in the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $1,012,530,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $585,192,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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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