Recent Investment Analysts’ Ratings Changes for Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) recently:

• 9/29/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Scotiabank from $155.00 to $180.00. They now have a “sector outperform” rating on the stock.
• 9/23/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by TD Cowen from $137.00 to $155.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 9/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “buy”.
• 9/12/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “buy” to “hold”.
• 9/11/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Berenberg Bank from $127.00 to $137.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 9/10/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by HSBC Holdings plc from $150.00 to $172.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 9/9/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Leerink Partners from $127.00 to $161.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 9/8/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Guggenheim from $146.00 to $170.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 9/4/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $150.00 to $170.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 8/25/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Weiss Ratings from “hold (c-)” to “hold (c)”.
• 8/25/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Wolfe Research from $155.00 to $180.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 8/25/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Argus from $145.00 to $170.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/22/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “buy”.
• 8/21/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by BMO Capital Markets from $142.00 to $170.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by UBS Group AG from $145.00 to $175.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Royal Bank Of Canada from “outperform” to “sector perform”. They now have a $150.00 price target on the stock, up from $142.00.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Morgan Stanley from “equal weight” to “overweight”. They now have a $179.00 price target on the stock, up from $116.00.
• 8/19/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from “strong-buy” to “hold”.
• 8/12/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Daiwa Securities Group Inc. from “neutral” to “outperform”. They now have a $143.00 price target on the stock.
• 8/11/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Weiss Ratings from “hold (c)” to “hold (c-)”.
• 8/11/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Argus from $130.00 to $145.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley from $113.00 to $116.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $140.00 to $150.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 8/5/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Guggenheim from $145.00 to $146.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/4/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Sanford C. Bernstein from $100.00 to $105.00. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 272.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.

Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.