Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Raised to $170.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price raised by Argus from $145.00 to $170.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Argus currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Bank of America increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $147.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.3%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.64 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $369.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 119.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.58 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $131.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Round Rock Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Cascade Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the second quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.