Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $127.1250.

Several brokerages have recently commented on MRK. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $1,828,050.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,770,014,000 after buying an additional 2,185,853 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,040,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,737,504,000 after acquiring an additional 1,859,990 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,435,458 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,098,196,000 after acquiring an additional 11,156,354 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 60,047,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,307,572,000 after acquiring an additional 249,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,263,991,000 after acquiring an additional 4,636,183 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $116.26 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The company has a fifty day moving average of $116.10 and a 200-day moving average of $101.32. The company has a market capitalization of $287.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.72 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Signed a multi‑year research collaboration with Quotient Therapeutics to discover IBD drug targets using Quotient’s somatic genomics platform; the deal includes an upfront payment and a milestone structure worth up to $2.2 billion, giving Merck access to novel target‑finding technology that could expand its inflammation franchise and long‑term growth prospects. Quotient Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Merck to Discover Novel Drug Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Somatic Genomics Platform Technology
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/press writeups note the strategic value of the Quotient tie‑up and discuss valuation upside if the somatic‑genomics approach yields actionable targets—this coverage can help re‑rate MRK on pipeline optionality and future royalties/booked milestones. Assessing Merck (MRK) Valuation After New IBD Genetics Collaboration With Quotient Therapeutics
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial progress for WINREVAIR® (sotatercept): several Canadian jurisdictions have added the product to public formularies following a pCPA agreement, improving access and supporting upside in pulmonary arterial hypertension revenue. Greater public coverage reduces uptake risk and supports revenue visibility in Canada. New Public Listings for Canadians Living with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s most recent quarterly results (reported Feb 3) beat EPS and revenue estimates and management provided FY2026 EPS guidance—this fundamental backdrop (solid margins, strong ROE, and guidance) underpins investor confidence alongside the new deals. (Company filings and earnings release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and scans flagged MRK among S&P 500 large caps to watch and noted recent outperformance versus the index—these are market‑flow and sentiment items that can amplify moves but don’t change fundamentals by themselves. 1 S&P 500 Stock to Target This Week and 2 We Ignore
• Neutral Sentiment: Price recaps and short pieces (Zacks/Yahoo) note recent gains—useful for tracking momentum but not new catalysts. Merck (MRK) Exceeds Market Returns: Some Facts to Consider

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.