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

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $133.9444.

MRK has been the topic of several recent research reports. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th.

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

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MRK opened at $130.86 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $122.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $323.20 billion, a PE ratio of 36.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.66 and a 12-month high of $132.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.

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.