Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Price Target Lowered at Royal Bank Of Canada

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its price target decreased by Royal Bank Of Canada from $145.00 to $140.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on MRK. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Berenberg Bank upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.08.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.75 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $369.46 billion, a PE ratio of 154.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.38 and a beta of 0.21. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $146.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.69. 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 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year high of $156.92.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 3.64% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.80 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This trade represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,470,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $331,931,000 after purchasing an additional 51,393 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 99,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,073,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,403,000 after purchasing an additional 227,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,184,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $794,577,000 after purchasing an additional 402,011 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 results and raised outlook: Merck reported adjusted earnings of $2.49 per share versus the $2.09 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 4.7% year over year to $18.09 billion, ahead of estimates. Management raised its 2026 sales and adjusted-profit outlook, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s advance. Merck tops quarterly estimates and hikes profit outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Growth beyond Keytruda: Keytruda, including the newer Qlex formulation, delivered stronger-than-expected sales, while WINREVAIR continued to expand rapidly. Newer product launches are helping offset losses from generic competition and support Merck’s growth outlook. Merck Q3 earnings call highlights pipeline progress and raised outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress: Positive Phase 3 endometrial-cancer data for Keytruda and sacituzumab tirumotecan, along with FDA priority review for the latter, strengthens confidence in Merck’s oncology pipeline and its ability to address future revenue pressure. Merck Phase 3 endometrial cancer data and FDA review
• Positive Sentiment: Supportive analyst action: Guggenheim raised its price target to $171 and maintained a buy rating, indicating additional potential upside based on the earnings and pipeline outlook.

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.