Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Cut to $145.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price cut by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $150.00 to $145.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 27.21% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on MRK. Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Wolfe Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Barclays started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.18.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock traded up $4.80 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $113.98. The company had a trading volume of 1,759,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,253,600. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The stock has a market cap of $281.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. The trade was a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $5,023,261.17. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 90,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,787,865.12. This represents a 31.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter worth $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat estimates — Merck reported revenue of $16.29B and topped EPS expectations on an adjusted basis, with strong oncology demand (Keytruda) and Winrevair contributing materially to the upside. Merck Sales Beat As Winrevair Hits $525 Million
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its adjusted profit outlook and highlighted continued Keytruda-led growth, which supports near-term earnings power despite headwinds elsewhere. Merck beats quarterly estimates on strength of Keytruda and new products, narrows outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Pipeline milestone — Merck announced first patient dosed in Phase 3 studies for enpatoran in lupus (ELOWEN program), which is positive for long‑term growth but not an immediate revenue driver. Merck Announces First Dose in Phase 3 Study with Enpatoran
• Neutral Sentiment: Full‑year guidance set with EPS range of $5.04–$5.16 and revenue guidance roughly in line with consensus, but the company narrowed its sales outlook, leaving room for mixed analyst reactions. Merck First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP loss driven by an acquisition-related (Cidara) charge weighed on the headline result and investor perception, even though adjusted metrics beat. Merck posts quarterly loss due to Cidara charge, sales rise 5%
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and investor concerns — some headlines flagged risks from slowing sales in certain legacy products (HPV vaccine, diabetes drug) and the company’s narrower sales view, contributing to the share pullback after an initial rally. Merck Stock Falls After Earnings. It’s Working on Ways to Blunt Future Lost Keytruda Sales.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst adjustments — some firms have slightly trimmed FY2026 estimates and the company’s tightened sales view has left analysts parsing upside vs. downside to the year’s topline. MRK Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat Estimates, 2026 Sales View Tightened

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.