What is Zacks Research's Estimate for MRK Q3 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research has lowered its Q3 2025 earnings estimates for Merck & Co., Inc., now forecasting earnings per share (EPS) of $2.37, down from $2.42.
• Merck's latest quarterly earnings data showed an EPS of $2.13, exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.03, but revenue was $15.81 billion, slightly below analyst expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.81, with a yield of 3.8%, to be paid on October 7th, with record shareholders on September 15th.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, August 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will earn $2.37 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.42. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.'s current full-year earnings is $9.01 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Merck & Co., Inc.'s Q4 2025 earnings at $2.15 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.10 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.11 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.52 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.13 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $2.38 EPS.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on MRK. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price 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. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "overweight" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.9%

MRK stock traded up $0.7610 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $84.9810. 14,292,318 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,792,842. The firm's 50-day moving average is $81.35 and its 200-day moving average is $83.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $120.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $212.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.09, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $15.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.870-8.970 EPS.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is 49.92%.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,425,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,864 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 124,510 shares of the company's stock worth $9,727,000 after purchasing an additional 10,045 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 105.0% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 8,754 shares of the company's stock worth $693,000 after purchasing an additional 4,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 50.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 28,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,292,000 after acquiring an additional 9,698 shares in the last quarter. 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.