Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price lifted by investment analysts at Citigroup from $95.00 to $110.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Citigroup’s price target would indicate a potential downside of 0.82% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company raised Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $125.00 in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Berenberg Bank cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.25.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $110.91 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The company’s 50-day moving average is $99.11 and its 200-day moving average is $88.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $112.90.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. Equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,054,475.02. This trade represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in 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 during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reported takeover talks to buy cancer drug developer Revolution Medicines add potential strategic upside to Merck’s oncology pipeline and could be seen as an accretive deal if completed. Merck in talks to buy biotech Revolution Medicines, FT reports
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst moves lifted sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded MRK to outperform with a $135 target and UBS raised its target to $130 (buy), signaling meaningful upside in Street expectations. (Benzinga coverage) Analyst upgrades and price target changes
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a Phase 3 trial (KANDLELIT-007) for calderasib (MK-1084) combined with KEYTRUDA in KRAS G12C NSCLC — a meaningful clinical advance that supports long-term oncology revenue potential. Merck Initiates Phase 3 KANDLELIT-007 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck moved to complete its acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics, expanding its infectious-disease pipeline and near-term product/technology set. Merck to Complete Acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck urged that U.S. changes to the childhood immunization schedule be science-led after the CDC trimmed some universal recommendations—this underscores policy risk/uncertainty in vaccines but also Merck’s push for data-driven decisions. Merck urges science-led US vaccine schedule
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare sector strength and ETF inflows (Vanguard VHT) are supporting Merck as investors favor undervalued, defensive health names—this macro tailwind helps explain buying interest. Health care sector rally / VHT
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and TV mentions (e.g., Jim Cramer) and recent positive Zacks commentary add retail attention but are informational rather than catalytic. Cramer’s Stop Trading: Merck

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.