Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $126.8125.

MRK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total transaction of $1,184,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,361,522.15. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total transaction of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,759,460.58. The trade was a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Cornerstone Planning LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,085,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 33.2% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,722,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,274,000 after acquiring an additional 429,419 shares during the period. Bank of New Hampshire increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 9,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $951,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Fund Advisors of America Inc FL bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $399,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.6% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 87,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,237,000 after purchasing an additional 20,067 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:MRK opened at $114.17 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $115.74 and its 200-day moving average is $100.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $125.14. The firm has a market cap of $282.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.70%.

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.