Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $129.34 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.66 and a 12-month high of $130.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $319.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $117.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.36. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.