Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $125.8750.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Bank of America increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% in the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $123.45 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.54. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.27. The company has a market capitalization of $305.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

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.