Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Rating Lowered by DZ Bank

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) was downgraded by equities researchers at DZ Bank from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports. They presently have a $153.00 price target on the stock. DZ Bank‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 2.97% from the stock’s previous close.

MRK has been the topic of several other research reports. Barclays upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. HSBC boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Freedom Broker upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MRK opened at $148.58 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $146.82 and its 200-day moving average is $126.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a market capitalization of $366.58 billion, a PE ratio of 153.18, a P/E/G ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The firm had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.58 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after buying an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,583 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after acquiring an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck agreed to divest its contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) business to Lonza. The transaction could sharpen the focus of Merck’s Life Science segment, simplify the portfolio and provide the CDMO operation with a stronger platform for growth. Merck to Divest CDMO Business to Lonza
• Positive Sentiment: Merck is advancing its HIV franchise, including investigational once-weekly oral combination therapy and additional treatment and prevention regimens. The FDA has accepted supplemental applications for IDVYNSO, with a regulatory decision expected in 2027, giving investors potential future product catalysts as the company prepares new clinical data. Merck Pushes Ahead With Oral HIV Regimens
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s personalized melanoma vaccine strategy remains a potential long-term growth driver for its oncology business, particularly if the approach helps reduce cancer recurrence. Merck’s Cancer Strategy Gets Personal
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its Merck price target from $145 to $155 but kept a Neutral rating, citing the need to assess the scale and commercial performance of newer launches. Freedom Broker also raised its target, from $125 to $140, while retaining a Hold rating. Merck Stocks Decline With Higher Target
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF investors were net buyers of approximately $22 million of MRK on October 29, providing a modest technical demand signal. ETFs Bought $22 Million of Merck

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.