Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) to a strong-buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.2%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $122.05 on Thursday. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $110.66 and a 200-day moving average of $95.80. The company has a market cap of $302.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $123.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,211,341.40. The trade was a 63.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.