Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck from “hold” to “buy.” The broader analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy,” with 15 Buy ratings, eight Holds and an average price target of $144.10.
• Merck shares opened at $152.43, up 2.3%, near their 12-month high of $154.49. The stock’s market capitalization is approximately $376.1 billion.
• In its latest quarter, Merck beat expectations with adjusted EPS of negative $0.13 versus estimates of negative $0.26 and revenue of $16.61 billion versus the $16.37 billion consensus; revenue rose 5.1% year over year.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Argus boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $138.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $152.43 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $376.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 121.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.43 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $128.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.23. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.58 and a 12-month high of $154.49.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 576,959 shares of the company's stock worth $60,731,000 after buying an additional 24,576 shares during the last quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 95.2% during the fourth quarter. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP now owns 23,280 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,450,000 after acquiring an additional 11,355 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 32.6% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,301,744 shares of the company's stock worth $137,022,000 after acquiring an additional 320,143 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,843,042 shares of the company's stock valued at $193,999,000 after acquiring an additional 224,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 410.5% in the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 705,442 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,255,000 after acquiring an additional 567,249 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported that their personalized cancer therapy met key Phase 3 goals, improving recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival for high-risk melanoma patients when added to Keytruda. The result is the first major late-stage win for an mRNA cancer vaccine and strengthens the potential for regulatory approval and broader oncology applications. MRK/MRNA's Personalized Cancer Therapy Delivers First Phase III Win
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their outlooks for MRK: Goldman Sachs increased its price target to $160 and kept a Buy rating, while BMO raised its target to $170 and UBS lifted its target to $175. Morgan Stanley also upgraded the shares to Overweight with a $179 target after the cancer-trial success.
• Positive Sentiment: Investors see Merck’s newer products, acquired assets and pipeline programs as a potential growth cushion against Keytruda’s eventual patent expiration. The company’s expanding portfolio could help diversify revenue beyond its flagship drug. Can Merck's New Drugs Offer Growth Cushion Ahead of Keytruda LOE?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options activity indicates heightened investor interest and potential volatility, but it does not by itself establish the direction of the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital Markets downgraded Merck to Sector Perform and set a $150 target, arguing that execution risks and the 2028 Keytruda loss of exclusivity are being underestimated. RBC said near-term catalysts are attractive, but the stock’s valuation leaves limited room for additional gains. Merck upgraded at Morgan Stanley after cancer trial win; RBC downgrades
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies separately moved Merck from Strong Buy to Hold. The central concern is that the shares have already rallied substantially on the trial news, making the current valuation appear demanding relative to the remaining patent and execution risks.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source