Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Argus

Argus began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks reports. The firm issued a strong-buy rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on MRK. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $153.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $150.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $146.57 and a 200 day moving average of $127.26. The company has a market capitalization of $370.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 154.84, a PEG ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.91 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 135,635 shares of company stock worth $18,011,040 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s broad advance provided a supportive backdrop for stocks, including healthcare shares; this looks like a market-wide tailwind rather than a Merck-specific catalyst. Stocks Surged Across the Board Today, and Biotech Brought Its Own Earnings Story
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Merck, while Freedom Broker reportedly forecast further appreciation, signaling supportive analyst sentiment. Cantor Fitzgerald Price Target Bump Freedom Broker Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted emergency-use authorization for a Merck treatment for screwworm in dogs, offering a potential near-term opportunity in animal health. Merck gets US FDA emergency use nod for treatment of screwworm in dogs
• Positive Sentiment: Merck began enrolling patients in a Phase 3 study of Ohtuvayre to assess whether it can prevent COPD exacerbations. The trial expands the drug’s potential, though results are not yet available. Merck Initiates Phase 3 Study of Ohtuvayre
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s pipeline is cited as a possible growth driver, but the company’s looming patent cliff remains a significant longer-term risk to growth. Merck’s Pipeline Could Be Its Next Big Growth Driver
• Negative Sentiment: DZ Bank cut its rating from Buy to Hold, setting a $153 price target that suggests limited upside from the price cited in the report. DZ Bank rating update

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.