Leerink Partnrs Has Positive Outlook of MRK FY2025 Earnings

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) – Leerink Partnrs upped their FY2025 earnings estimates for Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, November 10th. Leerink Partnrs analyst D. Graybosch now expects that the company will post earnings of $9.07 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $8.79. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.’s current full-year earnings is $9.01 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Merck & Co., Inc.’s Q1 2026 earnings at $2.08 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.06 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.13 EPS.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $17.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 41.05% and a net margin of 25.79%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Berenberg Bank downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. 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 report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $104.47.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $91.43 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $84.90 and a 200-day moving average of $82.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $105.07. The company has a market cap of $226.94 billion, a PE ratio of 14.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.34.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. DLD Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $2,858,570,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 144.6% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,229,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,418,820,000 after buying an additional 29,104,112 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 1st quarter valued at $991,553,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,139,901,000 after acquiring an additional 5,135,748 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 24,578 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.