Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Price Target Raised at Citigroup

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its price target hoisted by Citigroup from $125.00 to $145.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Citigroup’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 0.33% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on MRK. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Argus lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.11 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $145.49. The stock had a trading volume of 6,615,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,634,951. The firm has a market capitalization of $358.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 116.39, a P/E/G ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $143.90 and its 200 day moving average is $128.37. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Round Rock Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. lifted 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Remigromig met the trial’s statistical non-inferiority threshold versus Lucentis in diabetic macular edema, preserving a potential path for the investigational treatment. Merck Presents One-Year Results from the BRUNELLO Study

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.