Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Trading 1.2% Higher - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Multiple analysts have boosted ratings and targets (UBS, BMO, Wells Fargo, Goldman), leaving Merck with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.88 versus the stock trading around $117.
• Merck beat quarterly expectations with EPS $2.04 (vs. $2.01) and revenue $16.4B (vs. $16.19B), and set FY2026 guidance of 5.00–5.15 EPS.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently—insiders sold 320,176 shares valued at about $38.3M over the last 90 days—while the company continues to pay a $0.85 quarterly dividend (~2.9% yield).

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) traded up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $117.26 and last traded at $117.1810. 8,317,748 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 12,692,325 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.79.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $289.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.10, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $114.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.71.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, 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 transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This trade represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 108.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 16,761 shares of the company's stock worth $1,327,000 after acquiring an additional 8,725 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 16.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 63,089 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,994,000 after acquiring an additional 9,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1ST Source Bank lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% in the second quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 98,622 shares of the company's stock worth $7,807,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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