Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. CICC Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.94.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $127.47 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $131.74. The company has a market cap of $314.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.91, a PEG ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.01.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Processus Wealth & Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Processus Wealth & Capital Management LLC now owns 16,454 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,114,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $938,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.0% in the second quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 54,323 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,810,000 after purchasing an additional 4,035 shares during the period. Whitener Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 45,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,836,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041 shares during the period. Finally, Tema ETFs LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.1% during the second quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 122,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,793,000 after purchasing an additional 7,019 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approval of LIPFENDRA gives Merck its first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, opening a new revenue stream in cardiovascular care and strengthening its non-oncology portfolio. Reuters article on FDA approval
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted continued oncology pipeline progress, including FDA acceptance of multiple regulatory filings and Merck’s broader effort to offset the eventual 2028 Keytruda patent cliff. Seeking Alpha article on pipeline expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Lipfendra’s launch is expected soon and that the drug could become a major product over time, though sales will depend on uptake, pricing, and competition from existing cholesterol therapies. Zacks article on Lipfendra launch
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also a rumor that Merck may be in a takeover battle for genomics company Personalis, but this appears speculative and is not confirmed. Yahoo Finance article on Personalis rumor

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.