Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Shares Up 1.1% on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) were up 1.1% on Thursday after Citigroup raised their price target on the stock from $115.00 to $120.00. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Merck & Co., Inc. traded as high as $122.43 and last traded at $119.6190. Approximately 22,887,775 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 61% from the average daily volume of 14,211,467 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.33.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on MRK. Bank of America boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Eight equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.87.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,770,014,000 after acquiring an additional 2,185,853 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,991,000 after purchasing an additional 4,636,183 shares in the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% in the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,986,675,000 after purchasing an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,858,570,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,748 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $106.23 and its 200-day moving average is $92.85. 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 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. (NYSE:MRK) last released 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. The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 45.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

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.