Zacks Research Has Positive Forecast for MRK Q3 Earnings

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research boosted their Q3 2027 earnings per share estimates for Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, November 20th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $2.78 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.71. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.’s current full-year earnings is $9.01 per share.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $105.00 target price on the stock. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.0%

MRK stock opened at $97.78 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $86.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.85. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.31 and a fifty-two week high of $105.07. The firm has a market cap of $242.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $17.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The company’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.91%.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at $2,054,475.02. The trade was a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,963,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 179,749 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,086,000 after buying an additional 4,156 shares during the period. Ariadne Wealth Management LP increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ariadne Wealth Management LP now owns 6,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $585,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 24,958 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,095,000 after buying an additional 1,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 8,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $684,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.