Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:MRK traded down $1.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $123.72. The stock had a trading volume of 8,388,403 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,797,806. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $130.29. The company has a market capitalization of $305.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $118.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,997,933,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,098,196,000 after buying an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,012,530,000. Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $585,192,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 18,753,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,973,983,000 after acquiring an additional 5,152,069 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX, each combined with Padcev, for use before and after surgery in adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. This expands Merck’s flagship oncology franchise and could add to future revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with Morgan Stanley slightly raising its price target and RBC Capital reiterating a Buy rating. That suggests Wall Street still sees upside despite the stock’s recent run. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck continues to attract investor attention thanks to strong year-to-date performance, a solid dividend yield, and a long record of dividend growth, which may support demand for the shares. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage also notes Merck is one of the more widely watched healthcare names on Zacks, but these mentions do not appear to add any new fundamental catalyst on their own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the upbeat news flow, the shares also face ongoing valuation and post-KEYTRUDA exclusivity concerns, which may limit upside if investors focus on Merck’s long-term patent risk. Article Title

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.