Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Given New $113.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its price objective hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $112.00 to $113.00 in a research report report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

MRK has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $142.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $125.17 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $130.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $118.57 and its 200 day moving average is $116.23. The firm has a market cap of $309.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.19.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 95.77%.

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

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s KEYTRUDA franchise got a boost from recent U.S. and EU approvals in breast and bladder cancer, expanding its use in hard-to-treat tumors and strengthening the company’s oncology growth story. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also reached a new access agreement for its HIV treatment, IDVYNSO, which could modestly improve market access and commercial momentum for the product. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain constructive on Merck, including recent price-target increases from RBC and Wells Fargo, reflecting confidence in the company’s pipeline and KEYTRUDA-driven earnings power. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck has been attracting elevated investor attention, but the related coverage is more about monitoring the stock’s setup than a new business catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A market report on Southeast Asia oncology drug access listed Merck among peer companies, highlighting the broader opportunity for cancer therapy access but not pointing to a company-specific development. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target to $113 and kept an equal-weight rating, signaling limited near-term upside from current levels and reinforcing valuation caution. Article Title

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.