Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Raised to $170.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price upped by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $150.00 to $170.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 12.50% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently commented on MRK. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. UBS Group raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $148.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of MRK stock traded down $1.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $151.11. 612,581 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,761,100. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $134.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.33. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.58 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The stock has a market cap of $372.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.75, a PEG ratio of 6.60 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

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

In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 134,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in 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. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

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.