Q3 EPS Estimates for Merck & Co., Inc. Cut by Zacks Research

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for Merck & Co., Inc. in a report released on Thursday, August 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.37 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.42. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.’s current full-year earnings is $9.01 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Merck & Co., Inc.’s Q4 2025 earnings at $2.15 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.10 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.11 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.52 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.40 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.13 EPS and Q2 2027 earnings at $2.38 EPS.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.92 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “overweight” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $84.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $99.00 to $98.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $97.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.44.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK stock opened at $84.35 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $81.18 and its 200 day moving average is $83.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $120.30. The firm has a market cap of $210.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.38.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 49.92%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of MRK. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 141.7% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.