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Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Merck & Co., Inc. logo
$146.90 -0.04 (-0.03%)
Closing price 11/6/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$146.60 -0.29 (-0.20%)
As of 11/6/2026 07:59 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Merck & Co., Inc. - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
11
Buy
17

Based on 29 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Merck & Co., Inc. in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 29 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 11 have given a hold rating, 16 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for MRK.

Consensus Price Target

$155.74
6.02% Upside
According to the 29 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Merck & Co., Inc., the average price target is $155.74. The highest price target for MRK is $180.00, while the lowest price target for MRK is $105.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 6.02% from the current price of $146.90.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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MRK Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
11/8/25 to 11/8/26
1 Month Ago
10/9/25 to 10/9/26
3 Months Ago
8/10/25 to 8/10/26
1 Year Ago
11/8/24 to 11/8/25
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
16 Buy rating(s)
17 Buy rating(s)
13 Buy rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
Hold
11 Hold rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$155.74$151.32$130.86$105.65
Forecasted Upside6.02% Upside3.98% Upside0.11% Upside22.36% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyHold

MRK Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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MRK Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock vs. The Competition

TypeMerck & Co., Inc.Healthcare CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.59
2.32
2.52
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside6.02% Upside113.09% Upside17.16% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent MRK News
Neutral News
Positive News
Report Date
0 Results
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
11/3/2026
Argus logo
Argus
3 of 5 stars
Initiated CoverageStrong-Buy
11/3/2026
DZ Bank AG logo
DZ Bank
4 of 5 stars
 DowngradeBuy ➝ Hold$153.00+2.97%
11/2/2026
Ilya Zubkov
Not Rated
Boost TargetHold$125.00 ➝ $140.00-5.78%
11/2/2026Boost TargetNeutral$145.00 ➝ $155.00+3.51%
10/30/2026Boost TargetOverweight$165.00 ➝ $175.00+16.86%
10/30/2026Lower TargetSector Perform$145.00 ➝ $140.00-6.74%
10/30/2026Boost TargetBuy$170.00 ➝ $171.00+16.87%
10/26/2026Boost TargetOverweight$150.00 ➝ $180.00+27.02%
10/19/2026 DowngradeHold ➝ Strong Sell
10/12/2026Boost TargetNeutral$125.00 ➝ $145.00-0.33%
10/7/2026Lower TargetOverweight$179.00 ➝ $177.00+23.42%
9/29/2026Boost TargetSector Outperform$155.00 ➝ $180.00+22.81%
9/23/2026 Boost TargetHold$137.00 ➝ $155.00+5.42%
9/11/2026 Boost TargetHold$127.00 ➝ $137.00-6.82%
9/10/2026Boost TargetBuy$150.00 ➝ $172.00+17.26%
9/9/2026Boost TargetOutperform$127.00 ➝ $161.00+9.02%
9/4/2026Boost TargetOverweight$150.00 ➝ $170.00+12.61%
8/25/2026 UpgradeHold (C-) ➝ Hold (C)
8/25/2026Boost TargetOutperform$155.00 ➝ $180.00+16.64%
8/21/2026Boost TargetBuy$140.00 ➝ $160.00+5.33%
8/20/2026 Boost TargetBuy$152.00 ➝ $175.00+19.00%
8/20/2026Boost TargetOutperform$142.00 ➝ $170.00+12.49%
8/20/2026Boost TargetBuy$145.00 ➝ $175.00+15.34%
8/12/2026 UpgradeNeutral ➝ Outperform$143.00+9.71%
8/4/2026 Boost TargetMarket Perform$100.00 ➝ $105.00-28.60%
7/6/2026 Boost TargetBuy$140.00 ➝ $145.00-1.40%
6/30/2026Boost TargetBuy$130.00 ➝ $141.00+9.87%
6/24/2026 Initiated CoverageOutperform$138.00+14.65%
2/13/2026UpgradeHold ➝ Buy$115.00 ➝ $150.00+25.78%
2/10/2025 DowngradeBuy ➝ Hold$121.00 ➝ $100.00+15.45%
1/8/2025 Reiterated RatingBuy ➝ Hold$130.00 ➝ $110.00+8.88%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Sunday at 06:44 AM ET.


Should I Buy Merck & Co., Inc. Stock? MRK Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Merck & Co., Inc. pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Merck & Co., Inc.
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Merck:

  • Merck recently initiated the ENHANCE-3 Phase 3 clinical trial for Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) to prevent COPD exacerbations, a significant pipeline expansion that could drive future revenue growth beyond its current core products.
  • The company demonstrated strong financial performance in its latest quarter, reporting earnings per share of $2.49, which significantly exceeded the analyst consensus estimate of $2.09, indicating robust operational execution and profitability.
  • Merck received U.S. FDA emergency-use authorization for its treatment against screwworm in dogs, providing a near-term product opportunity and strengthening its position in the animal health segment.
  • With a current stock price of $150.19, the shares are trading near their 52-week high of $156.92, reflecting strong market confidence and a positive momentum that has seen the stock rise from a low of $82.91 over the past year.
  • Institutional investors are increasing their stakes, with Rakuten Investment Management Inc. lifting its position by 9.6% in the third quarter, signaling that large funds are accumulating shares and viewing the company as a long-term hold.

Merck & Co., Inc.
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Merck for these reasons:

  • Merck faces a looming patent cliff, a period where key products lose patent protection and face generic competition, which is a significant longer-term risk to revenue stability and profit margins.
  • DZ Bank recently downgraded Merck from "Buy" to "Hold," citing caution around the stock and the aforementioned patent risks, which may influence other analysts to become more conservative in their outlooks.
  • Corporate insiders have been selling shares, with EVP Jennifer Zachary selling 80,315 shares and EVP Chirfi Guindo selling 15,000 shares in August, which can be interpreted as a lack of confidence in the stock's short-term upside by company leadership.
  • The company carries a high debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, meaning it has significantly more debt than equity, which could limit financial flexibility and increase interest expenses if interest rates remain elevated.
  • Merck's P/E ratio of 154.84 is extremely high compared to the broader market, suggesting that the stock is priced for perfection and may be overvalued relative to its current earnings, leaving little room for error in future performance.

MRK Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 29 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Merck & Co., Inc. is $155.74, with a high forecast of $180.00 and a low forecast of $105.00.

29 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Merck & Co., Inc. in the last year. There is currently 1 sell rating, 11 hold ratings, 16 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" MRK shares.

According to analysts, Merck & Co., Inc.'s stock has a predicted upside of 6.02% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Merck & Co., Inc.'s stock had 5 downgrades and 3 upgrades by analysts.

Analysts like Merck & Co., Inc. more than other "healthcare" companies. The consensus rating for Merck & Co., Inc. is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "healthcare" companies is Hold. Learn more on how MRK compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Merck & Co., Inc. analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 11/3/2026.
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