Cantor Fitzgerald Boosts Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target to $120.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price increased by investment analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald from $116.00 to $120.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 0.32% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on MRK. Zacks Research lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.87.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:MRK opened at $119.62 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $106.23 and a 200-day moving average of $92.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $296.90 billion, a PE ratio of 16.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $122.43.

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, topping 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 45.22%. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 254,322,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,770,014,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185,853 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,263,991,000 after buying an additional 4,636,183 shares during the last quarter. DLD Asset Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. DLD Asset Management LP now owns 47,500,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,986,675,000 after acquiring an additional 11,000,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,858,570,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after acquiring an additional 5,135,748 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.