Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Raised to Moderate Buy at Royal Bank Of Canada

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) was upgraded by Royal Bank Of Canada to a “moderate buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.1%

MRK stock opened at $122.52 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $304.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $112.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

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

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after buying an additional 8,710 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares in the last quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Noesis Capital Mangement Corp now owns 126,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,001,000 after acquiring an additional 8,620 shares during the last quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% during the second quarter. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC now owns 76,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,038,000 after purchasing an additional 2,642 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savvy Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 8,085 shares of the company’s stock worth $640,000 after buying an additional 871 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval in animal health: Merck Animal Health won U.S. FDA approval for NUMELVI (atinvicitinib) tablets for dogs, giving Merck a first‑to‑market second‑generation JAK inhibitor in veterinary dermatology and expanding recurring revenue potential in its animal health division. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: HIV regimen data and regulatory progress: Merck reported late‑breaking Phase 3 data for the two‑drug doravirine/islatravir (DOR/ISL) regimen that matched Gilead’s Biktarvy and is under FDA review — a potential new chronic product to offset future revenue declines. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Late‑breaking CROI data: Merck announced three Phase 3 datasets for DOR/ISL at CROI 2026, reinforcing the clinical case and regulatory timing for the HIV regimen. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Pediatric RSV asset shows promise: Positive Phase 3 SMART trial results for ENFLONSIA (clesrovimab) in infants/children under 2 expand Merck’s respiratory pipeline optionality. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and industry chatter: RBC initiated coverage with an Outperform and $142 PT (supportive), while Zacks, Barchart and other outlets note strong relative performance and investor interest — these shape sentiment but are not immediate revenue drivers. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate events and strategy reports: Merck will present at TD Cowen and appears in digital transformation profiles — useful for longer‑term narrative and institutional engagement. Article Title Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Keytruda patent cliff and revenue risk: Coverage points to an upcoming Keytruda patent cliff that remains the major long‑term headwind; investors may be taking profits from recent multi‑session gains while awaiting clearer offsetting revenues from new launches. 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.