Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Now Covered by Analysts at CICC Research

Research analysts at CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price target on the stock. CICC Research’s target price points to a potential upside of 14.61% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on MRK. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.72.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK traded up $0.81 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $120.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,353,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,068,810. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $115.76 and a 200 day moving average of $113.91. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $76.66 and a one year high of $125.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $297.38 billion, a PE ratio of 33.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved KEYTRUDA plus Padcev for adults with cisplatin-ineligible resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, expanding Merck’s oncology footprint in the EU and adding another potential growth driver. European Commission Approves KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Padcev®
• Positive Sentiment: Merck’s anti-TL1A antibody tulisokibart met its goal in a late-stage ulcerative colitis study, strengthening confidence in the company’s pipeline beyond Keytruda and supporting the long-term growth story. Merck’s Anti-TL1A Antibody Meets Goal in Ulcerative Colitis Study
• Positive Sentiment: Merck also recently won expanded FDA approval for CAPVAXIVE, extending the vaccine’s use to higher-risk children and adolescents, which could broaden commercial uptake in its vaccines business. Is Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Strengthening Its Vaccine Portfolio With New Capvaxive Approval?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes were mixed, with Citi keeping a Hold rating while Scotiabank reaffirmed Buy, suggesting Wall Street remains constructive but not uniformly bullish. Citi Keeps Their Hold Rating on Merck & Company (MRK) Scotiabank Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Merck & Company (MRK)

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.