Brokerages Set Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) PT at $126.81

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $127.1250.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Barclays began coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:MRK opened at $114.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.31 and a 1-year high of $125.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $115.81 and a 200 day moving average of $100.87. The firm has a market cap of $282.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.72 EPS. The company’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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 46.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total transaction of $5,599,109.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. This trade represents a 9.66% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $11,048,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $3,085,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 33.2% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,722,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,274,000 after buying an additional 429,419 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New Hampshire increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 9,033 shares of the company’s stock valued at $951,000 after buying an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fund Advisors of America Inc FL purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $399,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.