Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Coverage Initiated at Barclays

Equities research analysts at Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Barclays‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.71% from the company’s previous close.

MRK has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $122.05 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.91. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $73.31 and a 52 week high of $123.33. The stock has a market cap of $302.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.77, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.The business’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 earnings per share. 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 fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,361,522.15. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,368,240.08. This trade represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MRK. Cambient Family Office LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,213,000. McLaughlin Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $552,000. Wick Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $299,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $259,000. Finally, WealthPoint Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $456,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.