Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Trading Up 2.1% After Analyst Upgrade

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) shares were up 2.1% during trading on Thursday after Wolfe Research upgraded the stock from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating. Wolfe Research now has a $135.00 price target on the stock. Merck & Co., Inc. traded as high as $112.90 and last traded at $110.9050. Approximately 20,250,006 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 32% from the average daily volume of 15,370,615 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.60.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of 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. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were 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 $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reported takeover talks to buy cancer drug developer Revolution Medicines add potential strategic upside to Merck’s oncology pipeline and could be seen as an accretive deal if completed. Merck in talks to buy biotech Revolution Medicines, FT reports
• Positive Sentiment: Several analyst moves lifted sentiment: Wolfe Research upgraded MRK to outperform with a $135 target and UBS raised its target to $130 (buy), signaling meaningful upside in Street expectations. (Benzinga coverage) Analyst upgrades and price target changes
• Positive Sentiment: Merck initiated a Phase 3 trial (KANDLELIT-007) for calderasib (MK-1084) combined with KEYTRUDA in KRAS G12C NSCLC — a meaningful clinical advance that supports long-term oncology revenue potential. Merck Initiates Phase 3 KANDLELIT-007 Trial
• Positive Sentiment: Merck moved to complete its acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics, expanding its infectious-disease pipeline and near-term product/technology set. Merck to Complete Acquisition of Cidara Therapeutics
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck urged that U.S. changes to the childhood immunization schedule be science-led after the CDC trimmed some universal recommendations—this underscores policy risk/uncertainty in vaccines but also Merck’s push for data-driven decisions. Merck urges science-led US vaccine schedule
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader healthcare sector strength and ETF inflows (Vanguard VHT) are supporting Merck as investors favor undervalued, defensive health names—this macro tailwind helps explain buying interest. Health care sector rally / VHT
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and TV mentions (e.g., Jim Cramer) and recent positive Zacks commentary add retail attention but are informational rather than catalytic. Cramer’s Stop Trading: Merck

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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,407,000 after acquiring an additional 13,285 shares in the last quarter. First Pacific Financial grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% in the third quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares during the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.2% in the second quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 25,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,998,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,444,000 after purchasing an additional 18,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,458 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 2.1%

The business has a 50 day moving average of $99.11 and a 200-day moving average of $88.77. The stock has a market cap of $275.27 billion, a PE ratio of 14.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.14). Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.54% and a net margin of 29.63%. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 44.91%.

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.