Recent Research Analysts’ Ratings Changes for Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) recently received a number of ratings updates from brokerages and research firms:

• 2/25/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. is now covered by Royal Bank Of Canada. They set an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. is now covered by Barclays PLC. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/19/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Barclays PLC to “strong-buy”.
• 2/13/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from “hold” to “buy”. They now have a $150.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/8/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “strong-buy” to “buy”.
• 2/6/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Guggenheim from $122.00 to $140.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 2/4/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/4/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Cantor Fitzgerald from $116.00 to $120.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 2/4/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $125.00 to $135.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 1/31/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “buy” to “strong-buy”.
• 1/27/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $110.00 to $115.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 1/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by TD Cowen from $100.00 to $120.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 1/17/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “strong-buy” to “buy”.
• 1/9/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Zacks Research from “hold” to “strong sell”.
• 1/8/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Wolfe Research from “peer perform” to “outperform”. They now have a $135.00 price target on the stock.
• 1/7/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by UBS Group AG from $105.00 to $130.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 1/7/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $95.00 to $110.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 12/29/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its “hold (c)” rating reaffirmed by Weiss Ratings.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 46.70%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total value of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.