Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its price target increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 12.86% from the stock’s previous close.

MRK has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.87.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of MRK opened at $119.62 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.66. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $73.31 and a one year high of $122.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.28. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $106.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.85.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after purchasing an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 3,941 shares during the last quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% during the second quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,444,000 after buying an additional 1,168 shares during the last quarter. Canopy Partners LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 12,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $989,000 after acquiring an additional 632 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $832,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported Q4 results that beat estimates (EPS $2.04 vs. ~$2.01; revenue $16.4B vs. ~$16.2B), showing solid sales growth and margin strength — a primary short-term bullish catalyst. Merck Trading Higher on Better-Than-Expected Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its target on MRK, citing continued execution across the business — supports analyst-driven buying. Scotiabank Lifts Merck Target
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo bumped its target to $135 and kept an overweight stance (largest upside among recent upgrades), giving a meaningful analyst tailwind for the stock. Wells Fargo Raises Merck Target
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsement: Jim Cramer flagged MRK as one of his favorite pharma stocks, which can spur retail interest and intraday buying momentum. Jim Cramer on Merck
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi and Cantor Fitzgerald nudged targets to ~$120 but maintained neutral ratings — modest upside only, so limited incremental impact on momentum. Analyst Target Changes via Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Management struck a cautious tone on 2026 outlook despite the beat; the guidance language and conservative near-term commentary could cap upside until clarity on growth drivers. Merck Beats Estimates but Cautious on 2026

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.