Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates for Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) recently received a number of ratings updates from brokerages and research firms:

• 4/6/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $125.00 to $135.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 3/30/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada. They now have a $142.00 price target on the stock.
• 3/28/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “buy”.
• 3/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 3/17/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Zacks Research from “strong sell” to “hold”.
• 3/12/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $135.00 to $150.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 2/28/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “buy” to “hold”.
• 2/25/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. is now covered by Royal Bank Of Canada. They set an “outperform” rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/24/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Royal Bank Of Canada to “moderate buy”.
• 2/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. is now covered by Barclays PLC. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/19/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Barclays PLC to “strong-buy”.
• 2/13/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from “hold” to “buy”. They now have a $150.00 price target on the stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, CEO Robert M. Davis sold 47,434 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.04, for a total value of $5,599,109.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 443,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,362,780.08. The trade was a 9.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total transaction of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.