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

Merck & Co., Inc. logo
$87.84 +0.23 (+0.26%)
As of 10:27 AM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more.

Merck & Co., Inc. - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
13
Buy
6

Based on 20 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Merck & Co., Inc. in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 20 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 13 have given a hold rating, 5 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for MRK.

Consensus Price Target

$104.33
18.77% Upside
According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Merck & Co., Inc., the average price target is $104.33. The highest price target for MRK is $130.00, while the lowest price target for MRK is $85.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 18.77% from the current price of $87.85.
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
10/22/24 to 10/22/25
1 Month Ago
9/22/24 to 9/22/25
3 Months Ago
7/24/24 to 7/24/25
1 Year Ago
10/23/23 to 10/22/24
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
5 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
9 Buy rating(s)
Hold
13 Hold rating(s)
13 Hold rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$104.33$106.41$108.69$131.62
Forecasted Upside18.77% Upside32.28% Upside29.05% Upside23.40% Upside
Consensus RatingHoldHoldHoldModerate Buy

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

TypeMerck & Co., Inc.Medical CompaniesS&P 500
Consensus Rating Score
2.30
2.33
2.52
Consensus RatingHoldHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside19.09% Upside1,358.25% Upside12.07% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent MRK News
Neutral News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
10/13/2025Citigroup
3 of 5 stars
Geoff Meacham
Geoff Meacham
Not Rated
Initiated CoverageNeutral$84.00 ➝ $95.00+10.44%
10/8/2025Weiss Ratings
0 of 5 stars
 Reiterated RatingHold (C-)
9/17/2025Berenberg Bank
2 of 5 stars
Luisa Hector
Not Rated
DowngradeBuyHold$100.00 ➝ $90.00+11.02%
7/30/2025Wells Fargo & Company
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Lower TargetEqual Weight$97.00 ➝ $90.00+8.16%
7/10/2025Morgan Stanley
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Lower TargetEqual Weight$99.00 ➝ $98.00+16.11%
5/20/2025Cantor Fitzgerald
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DowngradeOverweightCautious
4/17/2025Guggenheim
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Reiterated RatingBuy$115.00 ➝ $115.00+47.26%
2/18/2025Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft
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DowngradeBuyHold$128.00 ➝ $105.00+26.49%
2/10/2025TD Securities
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 DowngradeBuyHold$121.00 ➝ $100.00+15.45%
2/10/2025TD Cowen
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DowngradeBuyHold$121.00 ➝ $100.00+14.60%
2/5/2025Bank of America
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Lower TargetBuy$118.00 ➝ $112.00+26.31%
2/5/2025BMO Capital Markets
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Lower TargetMarket Perform$105.00 ➝ $96.00+7.95%
1/13/2025Leerink Partners
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Lower TargetOutperform$136.00 ➝ $119.00+19.31%
1/8/2025UBS Group
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 Lower TargetBuy$125.00 ➝ $120.00+21.14%
1/8/2025Truist Financial
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 Reiterated RatingBuyHold$130.00 ➝ $110.00+8.88%
12/4/2024Hsbc Global Res
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UpgradeHoldStrong-Buy
12/4/2024HSBC
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 UpgradeHoldBuy$130.00+27.65%
11/15/2024Wolfe Research
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Initiated CoveragePeer Perform
11/11/2024Daiwa America
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DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
11/11/2024Daiwa Capital Markets
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 DowngradeBuyNeutral
10/17/2024Sanford C. Bernstein
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Initiated CoverageMarket Perform$115.00+4.14%
10/7/2024Barclays
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 Lower TargetOverweight$142.00 ➝ $140.00+28.83%
7/30/2024Evercore ISI
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UpgradeStrong-Buy
6/5/2024Argus
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UpgradeStrong-Buy
3/11/2024Societe Generale
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 DowngradeHoldSell$104.00-15.33%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Wednesday at 10:16 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 Tuesday, October 14, 2025. 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:

  • The current stock price is around $85.64, which may present a buying opportunity for investors looking for value in the healthcare sector.
  • Merck has shown strong institutional support, with over 76% of its stock owned by institutional investors, indicating confidence in the company's future performance.
  • Recent reports from analysts suggest a mix of ratings, with one strong buy and several buy ratings, reflecting positive sentiment about Merck's growth potential.
  • Merck's market capitalization is approximately $213.90 billion, showcasing its stability and position as a major player in the pharmaceutical industry.
  • The company has a relatively low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, suggesting a manageable level of debt compared to its equity, which can be a sign of financial health.

Merck & Co., Inc.
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • Wells Fargo recently lowered its target price for Merck from $97.00 to $90.00, which may indicate a lack of confidence in short-term price appreciation.
  • Merck's price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, while not excessively high, may suggest that the stock is fairly valued, limiting potential upside for investors seeking high-growth opportunities.
  • Analysts have issued a significant number of hold ratings, which could imply that many believe the stock may not outperform the market in the near term.
  • Market fluctuations and economic uncertainties can impact the pharmaceutical sector, potentially affecting Merck's stock performance.
  • Recent changes in institutional holdings, such as SPC Financial Inc. reducing its stake by 22.5%, may raise concerns about investor confidence in Merck's future prospects.

MRK Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 20 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Merck & Co., Inc. is $104.33, with a high forecast of $130.00 and a low forecast of $85.00.

20 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Merck & Co., Inc. in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 13 hold ratings, 5 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" MRK shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in MRK, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

According to analysts, Merck & Co., Inc.'s stock has a predicted upside of 18.77% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Merck & Co., Inc.'s stock had 1 downgrade by analysts.

Merck & Co., Inc. has been rated by research analysts at Berenberg Bank, Citigroup, Weiss Ratings, and Wells Fargo & Company in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Merck & Co., Inc. less than other "medical" companies. The consensus rating score for Merck & Co., Inc. is 2.30 while the average consensus rating score for "medical" companies is 2.33. Learn more on how MRK compares to other companies.


This page (NYSE:MRK) was last updated on 10/22/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff
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