Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,616 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,418 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after acquiring an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after acquiring an additional 2,969,856 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
Shares of MRK opened at $145.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $358.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 116.20, a PEG ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $146.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.17. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have weighed in on MRK shares. Daiwa Securities Group raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.92.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: Merck and Moderna reported positive Phase 3 INTerpath-001 results for the personalized melanoma vaccine, intismeran, combined with Keytruda. The treatment reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 42% and also improved distant metastasis-free survival, supporting the long-term potential of the partnership’s oncology pipeline. Doctors call Moderna and Merck cancer vaccine data a major advancement
Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved Keytruda plus Padcev as a perioperative treatment for resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer, regardless of patients’ cisplatin eligibility. The broader label expands the addressable market and represents the EU’s first approval of a PD-1 inhibitor combined with an antibody-drug conjugate in this setting. Merck wins EU approval for Keytruda plus Padcev
Neutral Sentiment: Despite strong clinical results, the vaccine announcement triggered a “sell-the-news” reaction. The data largely met elevated Wall Street expectations after an earlier leak, limiting the immediate upside for MRK even though oncologists viewed the results as an important treatment advance. Merck and Moderna shares fall on cancer vaccine results
Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about valuation and Merck’s future revenue concentration in Keytruda ahead of its patent cliff. Analysts have also characterized the recent rally as leaving limited margin of safety, increasing the risk of profit-taking when news is merely in line with expectations. Merck rally leaves little margin of safety
Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reduced its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.63 from $2.73 and its FY2027 estimate to $9.38 from $9.47. Separate previews also anticipate a year-over-year decline in quarterly earnings, adding near-term pressure to the shares. Merck earnings preview
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile
(Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.
Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.
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But beneath the chaos surrounding Moderna and Merck's latest data on their personalized cancer vaccine, oncologists see something else: an important milestone in melanoma treatment.
The companies on Thursday released detailed results from a Phase 3 trial on their mRNA-based shot after partial data leaked on social media platforms earlier that day.
The vaccine, known as intismeran autogene, reduced the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 42% when given alongside Merck's immunotherapy Keytruda, compared with Keytruda alone. The combination also reduced the risk of cancer spreading to distant parts of the body or death by 38%, compared with just the immunotherapy, according to the trial on roughly 1,100 patients whose tumors were removed by surgery.
The stock market's reaction contrasted with the assessment of six melanoma specialists, who told CNBC the results represent a clinically meaningful advance that could eventually become a standard of care for patients who undergo surgery first and have not received immunotherapy before their operation.
watch now
"This has the potential to be a major breakthrough in melanoma treatment and also cancer immunotherapy in general that will open the door to greater outcomes for patients," said Dr. Sekwon Jang, a melanoma specialist at Inova Schar Cancer and principal investigator at one of the trial's U.S. sites.
Dr. Janice Mehnert, NYU Langone skin cancer specialist and trial investigator, added that "this is the first time we're seeing that when you add something to immunotherapy, you actually boost the efficacy of the immunotherapy."
The vaccine is not far from potentially entering the market for the first time and reaching melanoma patients. In an interview ahead of the results, Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the company is finishing a filing with regulators as it aims to get the drug fully approved next year.
"It's a very, very happy moment for the field, for patients," he said.
Major advance in melanomaAn immunotherapy like Keytruda wakes up the immune system to detect and attack cancer cells. Unlike preventative vaccines, which protect against infections that can cause cancer, Moderna and Merck's treatment acts like a blueprint to train the immune system to recognize and hunt residual cancer cells based on the specific mutations in an individual patient's tumor.
The significance of the Phase 3 data extends beyond delaying a recurrence, doctors said. Melanoma can become much more difficult to treat when it returns after surgery and spreads to distant parts of the body, such as the lungs, brain or liver. Patients with advanced disease may require additional treatments, including immunotherapy, radiation or further surgery, and those methods are not guaranteed to work.
Preventing the cancer from returning could spare patients from ever facing the risks and complexities of metastatic disease altogether.
"If we can essentially cure more patients with earlier-stage melanoma and never have to deal with unresectable metastatic disease — that's a wonderful advance," said Dr. Michael Postow, chief of the Melanoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an investigator on the trial.
Ideally, patients in the future may be able to undergo surgery and receive the vaccine and Keytruda without needing further melanoma treatment, Postow told CNBC.
Still, questions remain about whether the combination ultimately helps patients live longer, what the benefit looks like over longer periods of time and which patients benefit most.
The results also leave open where the personalized vaccine would fit into a changing melanoma treatment landscape, some experts said.
The trial tested the vaccine after surgery, alongside Keytruda, rather than against immunotherapy regimens given before surgery. That's an approach increasingly used for eligible patients with resectable melanoma, where the primary tumor can be removed. The data do not show that using the vaccine approach is more or less effective than receiving immunotherapy before surgery.
The medical community will get more clarity after Moderna and Merck present the detailed results at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference on Saturday.
Investors diverged from doctorsModerna shares fell as much as 25% Thursday, before regaining some ground, after partial data from the trial leaked on social media. The sell-off came despite the positive results, underscoring the gap between the treatment's clinical promise and investor expectations for its commercial potential. Moderna shares are also up nearly 600% this year due to the cancer shot optimism, creating more potential for a Wall Street letdown.
Investors had hoped the vaccine and Keytruda would replicate the results of an earlier phase 2 trial, which showed a roughly 49% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death at five years, RBC Capital Markets analyst Trung Huynh wrote in a note Thursday. Huynh described the phase 3 results as clinically meaningful and likely to support regulatory approval, but said the primary efficacy result landed at the low end of investor expectations.
But there was a key difference in the studies: The phase 3 trial included patients with a broader range of risk profiles, including some at lower risk of recurrence than those enrolled in the earlier phase 2 trial, said Dr. George Ansstas, who leads the melanoma department at Washington University in St. Louis.
Yet, "it's great data actually. It's consistent with what we've proven in the phase 2 trial," said Ansstas, who worked on the phase 2 trial.
Another analysis of the phase 3 data offered a more encouraging signal about the treatment's effect over time. After the six-month mark, the combination was associated with a 58% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death, compared with Keytruda alone.
Ansstas said the benefit of the personalized cancer vaccine may take several months to emerge because each shot must be custom-manufactured, a process that can take roughly six weeks, while patients begin Keytruda in the meantime. After vaccination begins, the immune system also needs time and repeated doses to develop a response against tumors.
That timeline could help explain why the group that received the combination regimen saw even greater benefits around six months, Ansstas said. Still, the explanation is a hypothesis rather than proof of when the vaccine's effect begins.
Dr. Hussein Tawbi, a melanoma expert and trial investigator at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, also highlighted the relatively mild side effects associated with the vaccine, including injection-site reactions.
Keytruda and other cancer therapies can cause potentially serious immune-related side effects. Detailed safety results on Saturday should help clarify the trade-offs of adding the vaccine to the immunotherapy regimen.
More work to be doneFor Moderna, the stakes extend beyond melanoma. The company is working to build a business beyond its Covid vaccine, while Merck is preparing for the eventual loss of patent protection on Keytruda.
The companies have several hurdles ahead of them, including selling an individualized therapy that takes several weeks to create for a patient at scale.
"I think the downside is that it's super labor-intensive, and you're gonna have to make vaccines for each person, and so you can't just stockpile a million vaccines and then just ship it out when somebody needs it," said Dr. Adil Daud, co-director of the Melanoma Center at the University of California San Francisco, who was the lead investigator on the phase 3 trial. "There is the time and expense, and it's probably going to cost like a lot of money."
Moderna and Merck have not disclosed any details about the manufacturing costs for the vaccine.
He added that most people who walk into the clinic with a tumor that has not been surgically removed may stick to receiving Keytruda before an operation because "that approach is simpler and doesn't put the patient through the delay" of creating the vaccine.
Daud said he expects the vaccine combination to be used primarily in the adjuvant setting, after surgery, rather than replace established immunotherapy regimens given before an operation. For patients who receive immunotherapy before surgerybut show little or no response, the vaccine combination could offer another option, he said, though that would likely be for a smaller group of patients.
For many others, doctors are likely to stick with providing treatment before surgery, including Keytruda alone or a combination of immunotherapies, Daud said.
Moderna and Merck still need to validate the approach in other cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma. Success in melanoma does not automatically guarantee that the approach will work in other tumors.
"I can dream of creating a log cabin, but we got some wood chops, and we've just knocked down one tree," Merck Research Laboratories President Dean Li said in an interview ahead of the results. "Knocking one tree does not give you a cabin or a village."
Moderna's Bancel sees a bright future for the vaccine, saying he believes it will eventually be able to help "literally thousands and then tens of thousands and then hundreds of thousands of people across different tumors around the world."
Moderna's personalized melanoma vaccine just posted positive late-stage results alongside Merck, yet shares keep sliding after an 18% collapse. The selloff raises a pointed question about whether the data actually delivered what investors spent months betting on.
Full late-stage results for the personalized melanoma vaccine from Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA | MRNA Price Prediction) and Merck (NYSE:MRK) came back positive, yet the selling hasn’t stopped. Those numbers landed short of the loftiest hopes built into a long rally. Moderna stock is down 4% to $193.62 in morning trading. The move extends an 18% plunge from the prior session as the market reprices what the vaccine is worth to the company.
Biotech as a whole is holding steady, which keeps the damage concentrated in Moderna and its closest large-cap peers. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) is unchanged at $209.54, so the slide in Moderna stock looks like a company-specific event. Large-cap stocks are slightly softer too, with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) down 0.4% to $761.03, a much smaller dip than Moderna’s.
Meanwhile, Merck stock is at $146, down 0.8%. That’s a fraction of the decline in Moderna stock, even though the drugmaker co-developed the vaccine. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) stock is at $30.22, down 0.7%, a move far closer to the dip in Merck stock than to the slide in Moderna stock.
Leaked Melanoma Data Resets Moderna’s Rally Merck and Moderna released full late-stage data for intismeran autogene, their personalized melanoma vaccine given with Merck’s Keytruda. The release came after details leaked ahead of a medical-conference presentation scheduled for this weekend. Bloomberg reported on the possible leak as Moderna and Merck shares fell. Compared with Keytruda alone, the combination cut the risk of melanoma recurrence or death.
That result landed near what analysts expected. It fell short of the highest hopes, and it also showed a smaller benefit than an earlier, smaller trial produced in a different patient group. A long rally in Moderna stock began in August, when the company announced the trial had met its primary goal. Expectations built during that run left little room for a merely solid readout once the details came out. Positive data still triggered a steep correction.
Vaccine Carries Far More Weight for Moderna Than Merck The personalized cancer vaccine sits at the center of Moderna’s growth story, which leaves Moderna stock exposed to any gap between the data and the hype. Every approved Moderna product is a respiratory vaccine, so oncology carries much of the long-term upside the market had been paying for during the rally. Such concentration explains why Moderna stock is taking heavier selling than Merck shares.
For Merck, the program is an add-on to Keytruda, its blockbuster cancer drug. Keytruda already supports Merck’s oncology business, which keeps the reaction in Merck stock muted while its partner sinks. Merck’s bull case rests on the combination widening Keytruda’s reach, while its bear case centers on cooler enthusiasm for the add-on after the full data.
Pfizer is a diversified drugmaker whose results rest on a broad product base spanning vaccines, oncology and primary care. That breadth protects Pfizer against any single trial readout. It also leaves the company with little direct stake in the melanoma vaccine’s success.
BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) is also developing cancer immunotherapies. That puts it in the same research field as Moderna’s personalized vaccine.
Conference Presentation Is Moderna’s Next Test A key question for Moderna is whether the full presentation at the medical conference this weekend changes how the market reads the data. Moderna stock goes into that event after a steep slide that has already stripped out much of the optimism built during the rally.
Merck’s role in that presentation could show whether the smaller selloff in Merck stock holds as doctors and analysts pick apart the full results. Shareholders should see if the iShares Biotechnology ETF holds steady. Investors weighing their exposure should adjust their holdings carefully given how concentrated the selling is in Moderna and Merck shares.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Brookstone Capital Management boosted its holdings in Merck and Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) by 15.2% during the undefined quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 150,102 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,812 shares during the quarter.
Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) stock plunged more than 25% Thursday after the alleged leak of an ESMO 2026 conference abstract raised concerns about the effectiveness of its experimental personalized melanoma vaccine.
RAHWAY, N.J. & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, and Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) today announced detailed positive recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) results from the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial evaluating intismeran autogene (intismeran; V940 or mRNA-4157), a novel investigational mRNA-based individualized neoantigen therapy (INT) being jointly developed by Merck and Moderna, in c.
Pfizer's 5.7% dividend yield towers over Merck's, yet that gap may signal something retirees cannot afford to ignore. Before you chase the bigger payout, the coverage numbers behind each dividend tell a very different story.
Merck (NYSE:MRK | MRK Price Prediction) or Pfizer (NYSE:PFE): which drug company dividend holds up better for retirement-focused investors right now? Pfizer pays roughly 5.7% against Merck’s 2.2%, and that gap is Pfizer’s whole pitch. On coverage and dividend growth, Merck comes out ahead. Most of Pfizer’s extra yield is pay for extra risk.
Income Safety: Merck’s Payout Has Cash to Spare
Pfizer pays $0.43 a quarter, or $1.72 a year, with shares at $30.06. Merck pays $0.85 a quarter ($3.40 a year) on a $151.48 stock. Part of Merck’s lower yield comes from its rally: shares rose 77.98% over the past year, compared with 29.48% for Pfizer.
Coverage is where the two split. In 2025, Pfizer generated $11.7 billion in operating cash flow and spent $2.63 billion on capital expenditures. It then paid $9.77 billion in dividends, which works out to about 108% of free cash flow. Free cash flow in the first half of 2026 covered only about 51% of the dividends Pfizer paid. Merck’s 2025 dividends used about 66% of free cash flow. In the first half of 2026, free cash flow covered 174% of the payout, even after acquisition charges pushed GAAP earnings into a loss.
Pfizer also has net debt of 3.01 times EBITDA, with leverage expected “to remain around current level or modestly higher through this transition period.” Its chief executive says the dividend holds up “even [in] the most stretched scenarios that we are running.” Even so, Pfizer has no buybacks planned in 2026. Merck is on pace for approximately $3 billion in repurchases. Winner: Merck.
Valuation: Pfizer’s Discount Is Real
Pfizer’s 2026 adjusted EPS guidance is $2.80 to $3.00. At the midpoint, the stock trades at about 10 times earnings. Merck’s 2026 guidance of $2.66 to $2.76 is affected by one-time charges of $3.62 per share for Cidara and $2.31 per share for Terns. Based on its 2025 non-GAAP EPS of $8.98, Merck trades at about 17 times earnings. Pfizer is cheaper. Its dividend also uses about 59% of forecast adjusted earnings, compared with Merck’s roughly 38% of 2025 non-GAAP EPS. Winner: Pfizer, and the market is pricing in its problems for good reason.
Growth and Patent Cliffs: Merck’s Replacements Are Already Selling
Both companies face patent cliffs. KEYTRUDA makes up nearly half of pharmaceutical revenues at Merck. The company’s chief executive calls the loss of exclusivity “more of a hill than a cliff” and expects “a shallow dip with a fast return back to growth.” Merck’s replacement products are already contributing. WINREVAIR sales rose 75% to $588 million, KEYTRUDA QLEX added $463 million, and LIPFENDRA won FDA approval. Merck also raised its 2026 sales guidance to $66.3 billion-$67.3 billion.
Pfizer is still absorbing the fall in its COVID products: Paxlovid sales dropped 95% and Comirnaty 34%. It also faces about $1.1 billion in revenue losses from generics and biosimilars. Vyndamax exclusivity runs to June 2031, but management targets a return to growth from 2029 onward. Its obesity drug berobenatide is aiming for a first approval in 2028. Winner: Merck.
Dividend Track Record Seals It
Merck raised its quarterly payout from $0.61 in 2020 to $0.85, about 39% growth. Over the same period, Pfizer’s went from $0.38 to $0.43, about 13%. Pfizer has held at $0.43 since January 2025, and management links future increases to the period after its exclusivity losses. Over five years, Merck shares returned 117.44%, while Pfizer fell 9.17%. Jim Cramer summed up the Pfizer case in May: “Pfizer does not have any earnings momentum.”
Verdict: Merck Is the Stronger Dividend for Retirement Income
Merck wins this comparison. Retirees need a check that keeps up with inflation and a payout funded by cash the business actually generates. Merck has both: free cash flow covers its dividend with room to spare, and the payout has risen since 2020. Pfizer’s 5.7% yield provides more income today, paired with a dividend likely to stay flat through the end of the decade. Its payout currently uses more than all of its free cash flow, which is the risk behind that yield. In the next earnings reports, check whether Pfizer’s operating cash flow recovers enough to cover its dividend and whether Merck’s newer drugs keep growing as KEYTRUDA growth slows.
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Cardinal Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 99,742 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. accounts for about 1.7% of Cardinal Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Cardinal Capital Management’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $14,578,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Round Rock Advisors LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research firms have recently commented on MRK. Zacks Research downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.92.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Merck & Co., Inc. Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.02 billion, a PE ratio of 119.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $146.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $129.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.
Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved KEYTRUDA plus Padcev as perioperative treatment for adults with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The expanded indication strengthens Merck’s oncology portfolio, supports additional long-term revenue opportunities and reinforces the commercial value of the two-drug combination. European Commission KEYTRUDA and Padcev approval Positive Sentiment: The latest trading session saw Merck outperform the broader market, reflecting investor interest in its strong oncology franchise and recent product catalysts. Merck outperforms the stock market Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s participation in the growing bioconjugation and cell-culture-media markets provides potential exposure to expanding biopharmaceutical research demand, but the reports offer no specific financial impact or new company guidance. Bioconjugation market report Cell culture media market report Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Merck’s phase 3 melanoma results and ETF selling could influence sentiment, but the available information does not provide enough detail to assess the magnitude or durability of either development. Merck phase 3 melanoma results Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Merck from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding selling pressure and highlighting valuation or growth concerns. Negative Sentiment: KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX remain Merck’s primary earnings engine, while U.S. growth is expected to moderate as the drug approaches peak penetration. The looming patent cliff and a legal setback affecting subcutaneous KEYTRUDA sales in several European markets increase concerns about Merck’s ability to replace future lost revenue with newer treatments. Merck KEYTRUDA growth and patent cliff analysis Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc. In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This trade represents a 24.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.
Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.
Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors
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Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. decreased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 65.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,104 shares during the quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Graney & King LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the first quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc. Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved KEYTRUDA plus Padcev as perioperative treatment for adults with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The expanded indication strengthens Merck’s oncology portfolio, supports additional long-term revenue opportunities and reinforces the commercial value of the two-drug combination. European Commission KEYTRUDA and Padcev approval Positive Sentiment: The latest trading session saw Merck outperform the broader market, reflecting investor interest in its strong oncology franchise and recent product catalysts. Merck outperforms the stock market Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s participation in the growing bioconjugation and cell-culture-media markets provides potential exposure to expanding biopharmaceutical research demand, but the reports offer no specific financial impact or new company guidance. Bioconjugation market report Cell culture media market report Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Merck’s phase 3 melanoma results and ETF selling could influence sentiment, but the available information does not provide enough detail to assess the magnitude or durability of either development. Merck phase 3 melanoma results Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Merck from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding selling pressure and highlighting valuation or growth concerns. Negative Sentiment: KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX remain Merck’s primary earnings engine, while U.S. growth is expected to moderate as the drug approaches peak penetration. The looming patent cliff and a legal setback affecting subcutaneous KEYTRUDA sales in several European markets increase concerns about Merck’s ability to replace future lost revenue with newer treatments. Merck KEYTRUDA growth and patent cliff analysis Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.1% Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.98 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $129.88. The company has a market cap of $370.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 119.98, a P/E/G ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.01 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc. In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total value of $2,710,857.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 134,703 shares in the company, valued at $17,569,312.29. This represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.92.
View Our Latest Analysis on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.
Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
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Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 32.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 38,612 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,477 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,606,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,858,938,000 after buying an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 1.1% Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $149.98 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.02 billion, a PE ratio of 119.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.21. The business’s fifty day moving average is $146.55 and its 200 day moving average is $129.88.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year. Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc. In related news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $1,350,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,613 shares in the company, valued at $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This trade represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms have recently commented on MRK. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.92.
View Our Latest Stock Report on MRK
Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc. Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved KEYTRUDA plus Padcev as perioperative treatment for adults with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The expanded indication strengthens Merck’s oncology portfolio, supports additional long-term revenue opportunities and reinforces the commercial value of the two-drug combination. European Commission KEYTRUDA and Padcev approval Positive Sentiment: The latest trading session saw Merck outperform the broader market, reflecting investor interest in its strong oncology franchise and recent product catalysts. Merck outperforms the stock market Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s participation in the growing bioconjugation and cell-culture-media markets provides potential exposure to expanding biopharmaceutical research demand, but the reports offer no specific financial impact or new company guidance. Bioconjugation market report Cell culture media market report Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Merck’s phase 3 melanoma results and ETF selling could influence sentiment, but the available information does not provide enough detail to assess the magnitude or durability of either development. Merck phase 3 melanoma results Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Merck from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding selling pressure and highlighting valuation or growth concerns. Negative Sentiment: KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX remain Merck’s primary earnings engine, while U.S. growth is expected to moderate as the drug approaches peak penetration. The looming patent cliff and a legal setback affecting subcutaneous KEYTRUDA sales in several European markets increase concerns about Merck’s ability to replace future lost revenue with newer treatments. Merck KEYTRUDA growth and patent cliff analysis Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.
Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.
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Axxcess Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 44.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,091 shares of the company’s stock after selling 27,739 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,099,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth $30,000. Graney & King LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% during the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the first quarter valued at $43,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc. Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: The European Commission approved KEYTRUDA plus Padcev as perioperative treatment for adults with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The expanded indication strengthens Merck’s oncology portfolio, supports additional long-term revenue opportunities and reinforces the commercial value of the two-drug combination. European Commission KEYTRUDA and Padcev approval Positive Sentiment: The latest trading session saw Merck outperform the broader market, reflecting investor interest in its strong oncology franchise and recent product catalysts. Merck outperforms the stock market Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s participation in the growing bioconjugation and cell-culture-media markets provides potential exposure to expanding biopharmaceutical research demand, but the reports offer no specific financial impact or new company guidance. Bioconjugation market report Cell culture media market report Neutral Sentiment: Reports on Merck’s phase 3 melanoma results and ETF selling could influence sentiment, but the available information does not provide enough detail to assess the magnitude or durability of either development. Merck phase 3 melanoma results Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded Merck from “hold” to “strong sell,” adding selling pressure and highlighting valuation or growth concerns. Negative Sentiment: KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX remain Merck’s primary earnings engine, while U.S. growth is expected to moderate as the drug approaches peak penetration. The looming patent cliff and a legal setback affecting subcutaneous KEYTRUDA sales in several European markets increase concerns about Merck’s ability to replace future lost revenue with newer treatments. Merck KEYTRUDA growth and patent cliff analysis Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRK shares. Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 1.1% Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $149.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.02 billion, a PE ratio of 119.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.85 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $146.55 and its 200-day moving average is $129.88.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.
Insider Activity In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
About Merck & Co., Inc. (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.
Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.
Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. GM Beat and Added a $20 Billion Buyback—Why Did the Stock Fall? Intercepting Growth: Karman Secures $218M Lockheed Martin Deal Tech Stocks Took a Hit—These 2 Pharma Stocks Are Near New Highs Chip Stocks Have Pulled Back—Here’s How 3 Semiconductor ETFs Stack Up for Investors Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
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RAHWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced the European Commission (EC) has approved KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with Padcev® (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv), as neoadjuvant treatment and then continued after radical cystectomy as adjuvant treatment for adults with resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). This approval, which also covers KEYTRUDA SC® [known as KEYTRUDA QLEXTM.
In the latest close session, Merck (MRK - Free Report) was up +1.07% at $149.88. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.58%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.69%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 1.05%.
The pharmaceutical company's stock has dropped by 1.73% in the past month, falling short of the Medical sector's gain of 3.5% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.97%.
The upcoming earnings release of Merck will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on October 29, 2026. The company is expected to report EPS of $2.12, down 17.83% from the prior-year quarter. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $17.23 billion, showing a 0.25% drop compared to the year-ago quarter.
In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $2.66 per share and a revenue of $67.1 billion, indicating changes of -70.38% and +3.21%, respectively, from the former year.
Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Merck. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.
Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 3.83% lower. Merck currently has a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell).
Looking at its valuation, Merck is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 55.8. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 17.25 for its industry.
One should further note that MRK currently holds a PEG ratio of 6.85. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. As the market closed yesterday, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry was having an average PEG ratio of 2.04.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 219, putting it in the bottom 11% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Merck (MRK - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $143.63, moving -1.59% from the previous trading session. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.41%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.07%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 1.11%.
The pharmaceutical company's stock has dropped by 0.63% in the past month, falling short of the Medical sector's gain of 1.97% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.46%.
Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Merck in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on October 29, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $2.12, marking a 17.83% fall compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $17.23 billion, down 0.25% from the prior-year quarter.
For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $2.66 per share and a revenue of $67.1 billion, signifying shifts of -70.38% and +3.21%, respectively, from the last year.
It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Merck. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 3.83% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Merck is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
Looking at its valuation, Merck is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 54.92. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 16.91.
Investors should also note that MRK has a PEG ratio of 6.74 right now. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry held an average PEG ratio of 2.01.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 210, this industry ranks in the bottom 15% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.
Silence Therapeutics PLC (NASDAQ:SLN, FRA:XRP1, OTC:SLNCF), the clinical-stage biotechnology company, surged 59% to $6.11 after agreeing to a $1.3 billion takeover by Merck KGaA, the German pharmaceutical and technology group.
Merck will pay $20 in cash for each American depositary share (ADS), representing a 130% premium to Silence’s closing price on October 16 and an 82% premium to its 30-day volume-weighted average price.
The proposed acquisition values Silence’s equity at approximately $1.3 billion, with an enterprise value of $1.1 billion, and gives shareholders a cash exit from the company’s drug development programs.
The transaction follows progress in Silence’s pipeline of medicines designed to silence disease-causing genes using short interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) technology.
A key asset is divesiran, an experimental treatment for polycythaemia vera, a rare blood cancer characterised by excessive red blood cell production.
Silence has reported potentially best-in-class phase two data for divesiran, which aims to reduce red blood cell production by regulating the body’s iron metabolism.
The company said the acquisition would give its programmes access to Merck’s resources and commercial capabilities, supporting the potential progression of divesiran into phase three trials.
Merck said the deal would strengthen its capabilities in targeted treatments for specialist and rare diseases, continuing its strategy of expanding through acquisitions.
The transaction has been unanimously approved by Silence’s board and is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2027, subject to shareholder approval, court sanction and regulatory clearances.
Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,932 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,040 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $11,615,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,169,479,000 after buying an additional 1,073,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,573,754,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087,583 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,456,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,858,938,000 after buying an additional 2,969,856 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms have issued reports on MRK. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.92.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc. In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total value of $1,539,939.37. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc. Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: Merck reported promising skin-cancer trial results involving Keytruda and a personalized mRNA vaccine. Positive clinical data could strengthen confidence in Merck’s oncology franchise and support longer-term growth. Merck reports promising skin cancer trial results Positive Sentiment: Merck is scheduled to present first-time pivotal Phase 3 oncology results at ESMO 2026, including melanoma and endometrial-cancer programs, alongside an oncology investor event. The disclosures may demonstrate progress in replacing or extending revenue from existing cancer therapies. Merck ESMO 2026 oncology pipeline preview Positive Sentiment: Merck’s continued uptrend has encouraged options traders to consider bullish strategies, indicating that some market participants expect further gains. Options activity, however, can amplify volatility and does not by itself change the company’s fundamentals. Merck bullish options strategy Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s investment narrative has shifted toward oncology and other growth opportunities as investors look beyond challenges affecting Gardasil, particularly in China. The strategy could improve diversification, but execution and pipeline commercialization remain key. Neutral Sentiment: Merck is being compared favorably with other pharmaceutical companies on dividend sustainability and cash generation, though the articles do not identify a major new dividend announcement. Merck versus Amgen dividend comparison Negative Sentiment: After rising more than 38% in 2026, Merck trades at a substantially higher forward earnings multiple than in late 2025. Analysts warn that the market may already be pricing in significant pipeline success, leaving less room for upside and greater sensitivity to disappointing trial data. Merck valuation and rally analysis Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance MRK stock opened at $146.01 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.01 and a 1-year high of $156.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $145.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $129.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $360.22 billion, a PE ratio of 116.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 0.21.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.
Merck’s principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.
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Baugh & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,551 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,031 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. makes up about 3.0% of Baugh & Associates LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Baugh & Associates LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Round Rock Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Cascade Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Somerset Trust Co boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,124,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance Shares of MRK stock opened at $146.01 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.01 and a 52-week high of $156.92. The stock has a market cap of $360.22 billion, a PE ratio of 116.81, a PEG ratio of 6.71 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $145.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $129.24.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year. Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 272.00%.
More Merck & Co., Inc. News Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: Merck reported promising skin-cancer trial results involving Keytruda and a personalized mRNA vaccine. Positive clinical data could strengthen confidence in Merck’s oncology franchise and support longer-term growth. Merck reports promising skin cancer trial results Positive Sentiment: Merck is scheduled to present first-time pivotal Phase 3 oncology results at ESMO 2026, including melanoma and endometrial-cancer programs, alongside an oncology investor event. The disclosures may demonstrate progress in replacing or extending revenue from existing cancer therapies. Merck ESMO 2026 oncology pipeline preview Positive Sentiment: Merck’s continued uptrend has encouraged options traders to consider bullish strategies, indicating that some market participants expect further gains. Options activity, however, can amplify volatility and does not by itself change the company’s fundamentals. Merck bullish options strategy Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s investment narrative has shifted toward oncology and other growth opportunities as investors look beyond challenges affecting Gardasil, particularly in China. The strategy could improve diversification, but execution and pipeline commercialization remain key. Neutral Sentiment: Merck is being compared favorably with other pharmaceutical companies on dividend sustainability and cash generation, though the articles do not identify a major new dividend announcement. Merck versus Amgen dividend comparison Negative Sentiment: After rising more than 38% in 2026, Merck trades at a substantially higher forward earnings multiple than in late 2025. Analysts warn that the market may already be pricing in significant pipeline success, leaving less room for upside and greater sensitivity to disappointing trial data. Merck valuation and rally analysis Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc. In other news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. HSBC increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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Banque Pictet and Cie SA cut its holdings in shares of Merck and Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) by 18.9% during the undefined quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 408,397 shares of the company's stock after selling 95,032 shares during
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Merck (MRK - Free Report) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock.
Over the past month, shares of this pharmaceutical company have returned +1.7%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +2.1% change. During this period, the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry, which Merck falls in, has gained 2.2%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?
While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.
Revisions to Earnings EstimatesRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
Merck is expected to post earnings of $2.12 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of -17.8%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -2.2%.
For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.66 points to a change of -70.4% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has changed -3.8%.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $9.27 indicates a change of +248.6% from what Merck is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -4.1%.
Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Merck is rated Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
Projected Revenue GrowthWhile earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth.
In the case of Merck, the consensus sales estimate of $17.23 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of -0.3%. The $67.1 billion and $70.47 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +3.2% and +5%, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryMerck reported revenues of $16.61 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +5.1%. EPS of -$0.13 for the same period compares with $2.13 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $16.33 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +1.69%. The EPS surprise was +50%.
The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates each time over this period.
ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price.
The Zacks Value Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which pays close attention to both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics to grade stocks from A to F (an A is better than a B; a B is better than a C; and so on), is pretty helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Merck is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
ConclusionThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Merck. However, its Zacks Rank #4 does suggest that it may underperform the broader market in the near term.
Cliftonlarsonallen Wealth Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,222 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,606 shares during the quarter. Cliftonlarsonallen Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Graney & King LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. UBS Group upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.
Get Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc. Key Merck & Co., Inc. News Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: Keytruda and pipeline catalysts support Q3 optimism. Continued Keytruda sales growth, expanded indications and newer launches could help Merck exceed third-quarter expectations. Will Keytruda Continue to Aid Merck’s Top Line in Q3 Earnings? Positive Sentiment: Oncology pipeline data is an important longer-term catalyst. Merck plans to present first-time pivotal Phase 3 results from three studies and more than 90 additional abstracts at ESMO 2026, potentially providing evidence of growth opportunities as Keytruda eventually faces biosimilar pressure. Merck ESMO 2026 Oncology Pipeline Announcement Positive Sentiment: Management sounded constructive on the Moderna cancer vaccine partnership. CEO Rob Davis said manufacturing of the personalized cancer vaccine should become faster and more efficient as Merck and Moderna refine the complex production process. Merck CEO Discusses Cancer Vaccine Manufacturing Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners initiated or reiterated a Buy rating on Merck, adding favorable analyst sentiment. Merck Gets a Buy Rating from Leerink Partners Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance Shares of NYSE MRK opened at $147.47 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $144.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The company has a market capitalization of $363.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 117.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 0.21.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.13 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is presently 272.00%.
Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc. In related news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 20,784 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.43, for a total transaction of $2,710,857.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 134,703 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,569,312.29. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total transaction of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,106,303. This trade represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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Merck CEO Rob Davis told CNBC on Wednesday that he expects the company's breakthrough cancer vaccine with Moderna to get faster to manufacture over time.
Shortening the current six-week timeline could potentially help the companies reach more patients.
"We are going to drive for improvement, but right now the focus really is, let's make sure we have the supply ready, we have the market ready to bring this important innovation to the market, and then we'll talk about how do we accelerate," he told CNBC in an exclusive interview. "But I do think over time you're going to see that timeline shortened."
The personalized cancer vaccine turnaround spans from sequencing a patient's tumor to delivering it to the hospital. Merck and Moderna's vaccine is designed to target the specific mutations in each individual patient's tumor rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach, which makes it complicated to produce.
The idea is to train the immune system to recognize and kill those unique cancer markers and then pair that response with Merck's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda, which aims to help the body attack the cancer more effectively.
Davis acknowledged that manufacturing the vaccine is a "complex system," but said Merck and Moderna have the process "down to a very tight science."
"I'm actually very confident that we're not going to have complexities in getting this to patients in a very timely fashion," he added. "We're doing it in our clinicals, and I only see improvement going forward."
His comments come after the two companies in August released positive initial data from a late-stage trial on the shot in combination with Keytruda in melanoma patients. Davis said the company is also examining the vaccine in trials across other tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer, types of bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma.
"You like to talk that maybe you can start moving toward talking about a cure," he said. "We're not there yet, but we're moving in a direction with technology that's really unprecedented."
Merck's new R&D facilityDavis spoke to CNBC after Merck earlier Wednesday officially opened its new 120,000-square-foot research facility, which it has named Advance, in its West Point, Pennsylvania, campus. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro joined Merck executives and other government officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the launch of the facility, which features highly automated robotic systems and advanced digital AI capabilities.
Merck says the facility is designed to streamline the analysis of biological samples from the company's ongoing drug programs and improve its research and development.
The opening of the new facility comes as Merck prepares for the upcoming loss of exclusivity of Keytruda, which is one of the world's top-selling drugs and is widely viewed as the backbone of modern cancer treatment. Keytruda's core U.S. compound patent expires in December 2028, while secondary patents extend protection into 2029 and beyond.
Merck has implemented a multi-layered strategy to turn the Keytruda transition into what it views as a manageable "hill" rather than a sharp revenue cliff. That includes accelerating internal research and also funneling $65 billion in external acquisitions and licensing agreements over the five years to build its pipeline of next-generation medicines.
The pharmaceutical giant is also developing new forms of Keytruda and combination regimens that it can transition patients onto and protect the drug's revenue even after key patents expire before 2030.
The Food and Drug Administration in September 2025 approved the subcutaneous form of Keytruda, which is considered a more convenient version because it is administered under the skin in minutes. The standard form of the drug is an intravenous infusion that takes around 30 minutes.
But Merck is facing a legal battle over the newer version in some European markets, raising questions about the market size for the drug.
A Dutch court issued an injunction earlier this month blocking Merck from selling, stocking or manufacturing subcutaneous Keytruda across eight European countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands. That followed a patent infringement suit brought by the biotech company Halozyme Therapeutics over its own subcutaneous drug delivery platform.
Merck has said it strongly disagrees with the rulings and plans to appeal. Patients can still receive the original form of Keytruda in Europe while the patent dispute unfolds.
Still, Halozyme has also sued Merck for patent infringement in the U.S., alleging the subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda infringes 15 patents that the biotech has filed since 2011.
Meanwhile, Merck is focused on rolling out a slate of new drugs. That includes Winrevair, a treatment for a rare, life-threatening lung disease that was approved in 2024 and acquired a few years earlier through its $11.5 billion acquisition of Acceleron.
Another closely watched launch is Merck's cholesterol-lowering pill Lipfendra, which was approved by the FDA last month.
Perpetual Ltd lessened its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 95.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,793 shares of the company’s stock after selling 581,772 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $4,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Round Rock Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% during the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,272,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Cascade Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the second quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,118,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. now owns 3,237 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.63, for a total transaction of $1,539,939.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. The trade was a 9.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance Shares of MRK opened at $141.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $350.27 billion, a PE ratio of 113.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.72 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a one year low of $82.01 and a one year high of $156.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $144.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $128.73. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The business’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 272.00%.
Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc. Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: Merck will present first-time results from three pivotal Phase 3 oncology trials at the ESMO 2026 congress, alongside more than 90 additional abstracts covering over 20 tumor types. The disclosures could provide investors with evidence of pipeline progress and support long-term growth beyond the company’s existing portfolio. Merck ESMO 2026 announcement Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target for MRK to $145 from $125, although it maintained a neutral rating. The higher target reflects some improvement in the firm’s valuation view, even as the limited implied upside signals caution. Neutral Sentiment: Merck appointed Paul J. Diaz to its board of directors. The appointment adds healthcare-management experience but is unlikely to materially change near-term earnings expectations. Paul J. Diaz elected to Merck board Neutral Sentiment: Merck is scheduled to report third-quarter results in about two weeks. Analysts expect single-digit EPS growth, making the report and management’s guidance important catalysts for the stock. Merck upcoming earnings expectations Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its peak-sales forecast for remigromig by 60% after trial details showed smaller numerical vision improvements than an established competitor and raised safety concerns. Although the drug met the statistical non-inferiority threshold, the reduced commercial opportunity weighs on Merck’s growth outlook. Jefferies remigromig sales forecast cut Negative Sentiment: Erste Group modestly lowered its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, reinforcing caution around Merck’s earnings trajectory. The stock’s decline during the session appears consistent with investors focusing on these forecast reductions and remigromig concerns despite the positive oncology pipeline news. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $179.00 to $177.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Daiwa Securities Group raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.92.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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Key Takeaways Merck's Keytruda generated $16.40 billion in first-half 2026 sales, up 4.2% year over year.Keytruda Q3 sales could benefit from strong metastatic demand, earlier-stage launches and label expansions.Merck targets $35 billion in peak Keytruda sales by 2028, before biosimilars threaten future growth. Merck’s (MRK - Free Report) revenues are primarily derived from the oncology portfolio, led by its blockbuster PD-L1 inhibitor, Keytruda. The drug accounts for more than 55% of the company’s pharmaceutical sales.
Keytruda generated $16.40 billion in sales in the first six months of 2026, increasing 4.2% year over year. Keytruda Qlex, the subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda, contributed $590 million during this period. Keytruda Qlex can offer substantially quicker administration time than the intravenous infusion of Keytruda.
Building on this growing momentum, we expect investors to keep a close eye on Keytruda's sales performance when Merck reports its third-quarter 2026 results on Oct. 29.
Keytruda sales are likely to have gained from continued strong momentum in metastatic indications and rapid uptake across earlier-stage launches during the third quarter. Recent label expansions, including Keytruda’s use in combination with Pfizer’s Padcev in muscle-invasive bladder cancer, have broadened its patient base and should also support sales growth.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Keytruda’s third-quarter sales stands at $7.45 billion.
Importantly, the company expects Keytruda’s strong growth to continue until the drug loses patent exclusivity in 2028. Management expects the drug to achieve peak sales of $35 billion by 2028 before it loses exclusivity.
However, Keytruda is expected to face significant biosimilar competition around 2028-2029. Once biosimilars enter, Keytruda’s sales are likely to decline sharply.
PD-L1 Inhibitors Competing With MRK's KeytrudaKeytruda faces competition from other PD-L1 inhibitors, including Bristol Myers’ (BMY - Free Report) Opdivo, Roche’s (RHHBY - Free Report) Tecentriq and AstraZeneca’s (AZN - Free Report) Imfinzi.
BMY’s Opdivo, like Keytruda, is approved across multiple cancer types, including lung, melanoma and kidney cancers. Bristol Myers recorded $4.63 billion in Opdivo sales in the first half of 2026, down 3.9% year over year.
Tecentriq is Roche’s leading immuno-oncology drug approved for multiple cancer indications. RHHBY recorded CHF 1.70 billion in Tecentriq sales in the first half of 2026, up 6% year over year.
AZN’s Imfinzi generated sales of $3.55 billion in the first half of 2026, up 29%, driven by strong demand growth across all regions from established indications and new launches. Imfinzi has strategically expanded its use across multiple cancer indications, strengthening AstraZeneca’s oncology portfolio.
MRK's Price Performance, Valuation and EstimatesYear to date, shares of Merck have rallied 37.7% compared with the industry’s 15.1% rise. The stock has also outperformed the sector and the S&P 500 during the same time frame, as seen in the chart below.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, Merck appears to be trading at a discount compared to the industry. Going by the price/earnings ratio, MRK’s shares currently trade at 17.94 forward earnings, lower than 18.33 for the industry. The stock is trading above its 5-year mean of 13.04.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings per share has declined from $2.78 to $2.66, while the same for 2027 has declined from $9.67 to $9.27 over the past 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
MRK's Zacks RankMerck currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Merck (MRK - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $141.98, moving -2.39% from the previous trading session. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.02% for the day. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.35%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.15%.
Shares of the pharmaceutical company have appreciated by 0.41% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Medical sector's gain of 1.06%, and the S&P 500's gain of 2.05%.
Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Merck in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on October 29, 2026. On that day, Merck is projected to report earnings of $2.12 per share, which would represent a year-over-year decline of 17.83%. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $17.23 billion, reflecting a 0.25% fall from the equivalent quarter last year.
For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $2.66 per share and a revenue of $67.1 billion, representing changes of -70.38% and +3.21%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Merck. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.
Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 3.83% decrease. Currently, Merck is carrying a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
In terms of valuation, Merck is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 54.73. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 16.15.
We can additionally observe that MRK currently boasts a PEG ratio of 6.72. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. As the market closed yesterday, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.92.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 208, putting it in the bottom 16% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.
NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 6.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,415 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 9,323 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $20,989,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRK. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at approximately $11,470,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,931,000 after purchasing an additional 51,393 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,184,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $794,577,000 after purchasing an additional 402,011 shares during the period. Talon Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $995,000. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 410.5% in the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 705,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,255,000 after purchasing an additional 567,249 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades MRK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wolfe Research boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Argus raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.92.
Get Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc. Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance NYSE MRK opened at $145.49 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.01 and a 52 week high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $358.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 116.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $144.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.57.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.
Insiders Place Their Bets In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: Merck announced that first-time pivotal Phase 3 results from three oncology trials will be presented at the ESMO 2026 congress, alongside more than 90 additional abstracts covering over 20 tumor types. The disclosures create a near-term pipeline catalyst and could reinforce confidence in Merck’s ability to replenish growth as investors assess its longer-term portfolio. Merck ESMO 2026 announcement Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase 3 results from Merck’s personalized mRNA cancer-vaccine program with Moderna, combined with reports of a potential U.S.-backed initiative to accelerate cancer-vaccine development, support investor interest in the company’s oncology and vaccine pipeline. Neutral Sentiment: Industry reports project continued growth in bioconjugation reagents, bioprocessing supplies, industrial bioprocessing, protein labeling and cell culture. Merck is listed among suppliers in these markets, but the reports do not identify a new contract or quantify a material revenue impact for MRK. Global cell culture market report Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $145 while maintaining a neutral rating, and RBC lowered its target to $145 with a sector-perform rating. The actions suggest limited near-term valuation upside at current levels. Negative Sentiment: Jefferies cut its peak-sales forecast for remigromig by 60% after detailed diabetic macular edema results showed smaller numerical vision gains and raised safety concerns versus established treatment Lucentis. Although the trial met the statistical non-inferiority threshold, the reduced commercial outlook weighs on expectations for Merck’s ophthalmology pipeline. Jefferies remigromig forecast About Merck & Co., Inc. (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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RAHWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $MRK #MRK--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced that first-time results from three pivotal clinical trials will be presented during late-breaking Presidential Symposia at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 in Madrid, Spain from Oct. 23-27. Additionally, more than 90 additional abstracts across more than 20 tumor types from the company's pipeline and portfolio will be presented throughout the meet.
Jefferies has cut its peak sales forecast for Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK, XETRA:6MK)’s experimental eye treatment remigromig by 60% after detailed trial results raised concerns about its efficacy and safety compared with an established rival.
The US pharmaceutical company’s drug met the statistical threshold for non-inferiority against Lucentis, a treatment for diabetic macular oedema, but delivered smaller numerical improvements in patients’ vision.
Jefferies analyst Akash Tewari lowered his risk-adjusted peak sales estimate to $300 million from about $750 million, although the bank retained its buy rating on Merck and reduced its price target to $176 from $177.
Results from the phase two and phase three BRUNELLO study showed that patients receiving remigromig gained an average of 8.7 to 9.1 letters on a standard vision test after 52 weeks, compared with 11.8 letters for those receiving Lucentis.
The two remigromig doses also produced smaller improvements in retinal thickness than Lucentis, and the trial showed no secondary endpoint at which the experimental drug was superior to its rival.
Jefferies said the findings offered limited evidence that remigromig could perform particularly well in patients who had previously received vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors, a widely used class of treatments.
About a quarter of patients in each study arm had previously received anti-VEGF treatment, but Merck did not report separate efficacy results for previously treated and treatment-naive patients.
Safety also emerged as a concern, with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a condition involving abnormal blood-vessel growth that can threaten sight, reported in 6.1% to 6.7% of remigromig recipients against 0.9% of Lucentis patients.
Treatment-related discontinuations were also higher, affecting 4.5% to 4.9% of patients receiving remigromig compared with 0.9% in the Lucentis group.
Merck noted that affected patients were generally manageable with standard treatment and that 85% had gained vision after one year, while further analyses of the safety findings remained under way.
Jefferies said the drug could still find a role among patients who do not respond adequately to existing treatments but concluded that the data did not establish a clear product advantage.
The bank is now monitoring Merck’s separate BAROLO trial in diabetic macular oedema, with results expected in March 2027, and said the company’s broader drug pipeline remained diversified by the programme.
Investors often turn to recommendations made by Wall Street analysts before making a Buy, Sell, or Hold decision about a stock. While media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm employed (or sell-side) analysts often affect a stock's price, do they really matter?
Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about Merck (MRK - Free Report) .
Merck currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.67, on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 29 brokerage firms. An ABR of 1.67 approximates between Strong Buy and Buy.
Of the 29 recommendations that derive the current ABR, 18 are Strong Buy and two are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy respectively account for 62.1% and 6.9% of all recommendations.
Brokerage Recommendation Trends for MRK
Check price target & stock forecast for Merck here>>>
The ABR suggests buying Merck, but making an investment decision solely on the basis of this information might not be a good idea. According to several studies, brokerage recommendations have little to no success guiding investors to choose stocks with the most potential for price appreciation.
Are you wondering why? The vested interest of brokerage firms in a stock they cover often results in a strong positive bias of their analysts in rating it. Our research shows that for every "Strong Sell" recommendation, brokerage firms assign five "Strong Buy" recommendations.
This means that the interests of these institutions are not always aligned with those of retail investors, giving little insight into the direction of a stock's future price movement. It would therefore be best to use this information to validate your own analysis or a tool that has proven to be highly effective at predicting stock price movements.
Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating tool with an impressive externally audited track record, categorizes stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), and is an effective indicator of a stock's price performance in the near future. Therefore, using the ABR to validate the Zacks Rank could be an efficient way of making a profitable investment decision.
ABR Should Not Be Confused With Zacks RankAlthough both Zacks Rank and ABR are displayed in a range of 1--5, they are different measures altogether.
Broker recommendations are the sole basis for calculating the ABR, which is typically displayed in decimals (such as 1.28). The Zacks Rank, on the other hand, is a quantitative model designed to harness the power of earnings estimate revisions. It is displayed in whole numbers -- 1 to 5.
Analysts employed by brokerage firms have been and continue to be overly optimistic with their recommendations. Since the ratings issued by these analysts are more favorable than their research would support because of the vested interest of their employers, they mislead investors far more often than they guide.
In contrast, the Zacks Rank is driven by earnings estimate revisions. And near-term stock price movements are strongly correlated with trends in earnings estimate revisions, according to empirical research.
Furthermore, the different grades of the Zacks Rank are applied proportionately across all stocks for which brokerage analysts provide earnings estimates for the current year. In other words, at all times, this tool maintains a balance among the five ranks it assigns.
Another key difference between the ABR and Zacks Rank is freshness. The ABR is not necessarily up-to-date when you look at it. But, since brokerage analysts keep revising their earnings estimates to account for a company's changing business trends, and their actions get reflected in the Zacks Rank quickly enough, it is always timely in indicating future price movements.
Is MRK Worth Investing In?In terms of earnings estimate revisions for Merck, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has declined 3.7% over the past month to $2.66.
Analysts' growing pessimism over the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by strong agreement among them in revising EPS estimates lower, could be a legitimate reason for the stock to plunge in the near term.
The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for Merck. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>
Therefore, it could be wise to take the Buy-equivalent ABR for Merck with a grain of salt.
With less than two months remaining in 2026, the S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.59%) appears to be headed for yet another double-digit percentage gain. However, only two of the so-called "Magnificent Seven" stocks are beating the market -- Nvidia (NVDA -0.52%) and Apple (AAPL -1.11%).
Investors seeking truly magnificent performances should look elsewhere, though. Three healthcare stocks are crushing the Magnificent Seven stocks.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Moderna Moderna (MRNA +14.21%) is delivering an even better year than in 2020 and 2021, when the company vaulted into the limelight with its COVID-19 vaccine. The biotech stock has skyrocketed more than 620% so far in 2026.
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COVID isn't the catalyst for Moderna this time, though. Instead, it's the company's personalized messenger RNA (mRNA) cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene. In August 2026, Moderna and its big partner, Merck (MRK +2.26%), announced impressive results from a late-stage study of the cancer vaccine combined with Merck's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda in the treatment of melanoma.
Moderna has high hopes that intismeran autogene will prove safe and effective for treating multiple types of cancer in addition to melanoma. The company, along with Merck, is evaluating the experimental vaccine in combination with Keytruda in clinical studies targeting lung, kidney, and bladder cancer, among others.
2. Twist Bioscience Twist Bioscience (TWST +5.08%) makes synthetic DNA. Scientists and drug developers use this DNA. Twist's silicon-based manufacturing platform allows the company to produce DNA more efficiently, faster, and more cheaply than older methods.
Synthetic DNA is selling like hotcakes these days. Twist reported its 14th consecutive quarter of revenue growth in August 2026, with revenue jumping 23% year over year to $118.4 million. The company is on track to reach adjusted EBITDA breakeven in the fourth quarter of 2026.
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Investors have rewarded Twist for its commercial success. The stock has more than quintupled year to date, even after a significant pullback in recent weeks. That return is more than 16 times greater than the return of the best-performing Magnificent Seven stock this year.
3. 10X Genomics 10X Genomics (TXG +4.36%) hasn't delivered the impressive revenue growth that Twist has. The life sciences technology company's sales increased only 3% year over year in its latest quarter.
However, 10X Genomics' stock has jumped nearly as much as Twist's so far this year, up almost 400%. Similar to Twist, 10X's performance has been dampened by a recent pullback.
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Several factors explain 10X Genomics' momentum. The company won a patent infringement lawsuit against Parse Biosciences, a subsidiary of Qiagen (NYSE: QGEN). It launched a new product, Atera, which profiles gene activity at the single-cell level across larger tissue areas with greater sensitivity than previous technologies. 10X also introduced Sentira, a product that reduces spatial data processing times from hours to minutes.
High-flying growth stocks are often popular with Wall Street analysts. However, that isn't always the case.
The consensus 12-month price target for Moderna is roughly 49% below its current share price. Unsurprisingly, only three of the 20 analysts who have rated the biotech stock over the last three months recommended buying it.
Many on Wall Street also expect Twist Bioscience's momentum to falter. The average price target for the stock is 11% below the current share price. On the other hand, eight of 11 analysts recommend buying Twist's shares.
Similarly, the consensus price target for 10X Genomics is around 16% below its current share price. Of the 16 analysts who rated the stock in the last three months, seven gave it a "buy" rating and nine recommended holding.
I don't always agree with Wall Street, but I suspect analysts are right that the stocks of Moderna, Twist Bioscience, and 10X Genomics could slide over the next 12 months. For investors seeking near-term profits, other stocks offer more attractive risk-reward propositions. However, any significant sell-offs could present great buying opportunities for long-term investors.
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced the first presentation of one-year results from the pivotal Phase 2b/3 BRUNELLO trial evaluating remigromig (MK-3000, formerly EYE103), an investigational, potentially first-in-class tetravalent, tri-specific antibody designed to activate the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) pathway, for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Results were presented today at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans: BRUNELLO - 1-Year Pivotal Trial Results of Remigromig (MK-3000, formerly EYE103) for the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema; D. D'Amico.
In the BRUNELLO study, both remigromig dose arms met the primary endpoint independently, demonstrating non-inferiority in mean change from baseline in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at one year compared with monthly 0.5mg ranibizumab. Mean BCVA gains at Year 1 were +9.1 letters (95% CI, 8.1-10.1; p=0.0129, multiplicity-adjusted) with remigromig 0.5 mg and +8.7 letters (95% CI, 7.7-9.8; p=0.0222, multiplicity-adjusted) with remigromig 0.8 mg, compared with +11.8 letters with ranibizumab (95% CI, 10.7-12.8). Differences between treatment groups were within the prespecified non-inferiority margin and were not considered clinically meaningful. No secondary endpoints demonstrated superiority to ranibizumab.
While both doses of remigromig were generally well tolerated, adverse events related to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) occurred more frequently with remigromig than with ranibizumab (6.7% and 6.1% with remigromig 0.5 mg and 0.8 mg, respectively, versus 0.9%), inclusive of new-onset PDR.1 In addition, higher rates of treatment discontinuations due to adverse events were observed in the remigromig treatment arms compared with ranibizumab (4.9% and 4.5% with remigromig 0.5 mg and 0.8 mg, respectively, versus 0.9%). Additional analyses are underway to further characterize these findings. PDR rates may reflect natural disease progression in DME patients since remigromig focuses on repair and maintenance of the blood-retinal barrier rather than directly suppressing new vessel growth. PDR cases were generally manageable with standard-of-care treatment.
“Although anti-VEGF therapies remain the foundation of treatment for diabetic macular edema, up to two thirds of patients fail to achieve clinically meaningful vision gains after one year, underscoring the need to explore new biological pathways,” said Donald J. D’Amico, M.D., chair of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medicine, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief, New York-Presbyterian Hospital and presenting author of the BRUNELLO study. “These findings ‒ which demonstrate for the first time that a biologic targeting the Wnt pathway can achieve visual acuity comparable to an established anti-VEGF therapy ‒ support continued evaluation of this novel approach as we look forward to additional Phase 3 results from the BAROLO study.”
“Despite important advances in care, up to 40% of patients with diabetic macular edema have persistent disease activity after six months of treatment, meaning that they do not respond or only partially respond to therapy, underscoring the need for new therapeutic approaches,” said Dr. David Guyer, founder, chief executive officer and president of EyeBio, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck. “The BRUNELLO study provides important evidence that activating the Wnt pathway, which is involved in the repair and maintenance of the blood-retinal barrier, may offer a potential new way to help patients with DME and expand treatment options for retinal specialists and their patients.”
“The BRUNELLO results represent an important milestone for people living with diabetic macular edema, a leading cause of vision loss among people living with diabetes, which impacts nearly 1.6 million people in the U.S.,” said Dr. Dean Y. Li, president, Merck Research Laboratories. “As the first new mechanism of action in more than 20 years to demonstrate non-inferior visual acuity compared with standard-of-care anti-VEGF therapy in a pivotal DME study, remigromig has the potential to expand treatment options for retinal specialists and patients. We thank the patients, caregivers and investigators whose participation made this study possible.”
The BRUNELLO trial data further strengthens Merck’s advancing ophthalmology pipeline, which is aimed at promoting retinal recovery by addressing specific retinal diseases associated with vascular leakage and neovascularization, including DME, neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD) and macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO).
Results from BRUNELLO will be discussed with regulatory authorities. Remigromig is also being evaluated in the ongoing pivotal Phase 2b/3 BAROLO study (NCT06957080) in patients with DME and in a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study (SUPER TUSCAN) in patients with NVAMD and RVO (NCT07205887).
The company is also developing MK-8748 (also known as Tiespectus, EYE201), a novel investigational bispecific antibody with a dual mechanism that directly activates the Tie2 pathway and inhibits VEGF with the goal of stabilizing retinal and choroidal blood vessels and reducing fluid accumulation in the macula. MK-8748 is currently being studied in two pivotal Phase 2b/3 trials for the treatment of NVAMD, TORRONTES (NCT07496567) and MALBEC (NCT07440225), and in two pivotal Phase 3 studies for the treatment of DME, SANGIOVESE (NCT07705555) and SYRAH (NCT07705607).
About the BRUNELLO trial
BRUNELLO is a randomized, double masked pivotal Phase 2b/3 trial (NCT06571045) evaluating the safety and efficacy of two dose levels (0.5 mg and 0.8 mg) of intravitreal (IVT) remigromig (MK-3000, formerly EYE103) versus active control 0.5mg ranibizumab in adults with DME. The trial enrolled 984 participants who were randomized 1:1:1 to receive low and high dose regimens of remigromig or ranibizumab every four weeks for the first year. In the second year, the frequency of treatment for participants will shift based on a personalized treatment interval (PTI) algorithm. The primary endpoint is mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline to week 52 in the study eye of the participants, using standardized Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) vision testing. The key secondary endpoints at week 52 are mean change from baseline in BCVA (superiority of remigromig vs. ranibizumab), and mean change from baseline in Central Subfield Thickness (CST) (superiority of remigromig vs. ranibizumab).
About Remigromig
Remigromig (MK-3000, formerly EYE103) is an investigational, potentially first-in-class tetravalent, tri-specific antibody designed to activate the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) pathway, which is involved in the repair and maintenance of the blood-retinal-barrier. Remigromig is being studied in patients with certain retinal diseases including diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD). Remigromig is administered by intravitreal injection.
About diabetic macular edema
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a serious retinal condition and a leading cause of vision loss for people with diabetes. An estimated 1.6 million people are living with DME in the United States. DME occurs when damaged blood vessels leak into the retina, resulting in swelling in the macula, the central region of the retina crucial for precise vision necessary for everyday activities. The prevalence of DME is anticipated to rise with the increasing incidence of diabetes. While currently available treatments have helped to improve outcomes, a significant number of patients, up to 40%, do not respond or only partially respond to therapy, underscoring the need for new treatment approaches.
About Merck
At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA
This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the company’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline candidates that the candidates will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and the company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov/).
RAHWAY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $MRK #MRK--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, today announced the first presentation of one-year results from the pivotal Phase 2b/3 BRUNELLO trial evaluating remigromig (MK-3000, formerly EYE103), an investigational, potentially first-in-class tetravalent, tri-specific antibody designed to activate the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) pathway, for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Results were presented today at the.
Strong clinical and regulatory progress has driven Moderna's (MRNA +14.21%) shares significantly higher this year. The biotech has gained over 560%, while the S&P 500 has recorded a comparatively modest gain of about 14%. However, several Wall Street analysts consider Moderna's shares overvalued. The company's average price target of $121 (according to Yahoo! Finance) implies a 38% downside from current levels. Is it time to sell Moderna stock?
Image source: Getty Images.
Moderna is breaking new groundModerna has made at least two significant achievements this year. The first was earning approval for its influenza vaccine, mFLUSIVA, for patients aged 50 and older. True, there are already flu vaccines on the market, but mFLUSIVA could be a better option. Here's why.
Some traditional flu vaccines work by introducing a harmless version of the virus, which the immune system recognizes and responds to by producing antibodies. So, when patients come in contact with the actual virus, their immune systems are ready to defend against it.
But influenza viruses evolve constantly, and for this approach to work, we need to know which strains will be most prevalent. If vaccine makers get it wrong, the vaccine could target the wrong strain, making it largely ineffective. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes, flu vaccines are typically 40% to 60% effective (sometimes lower) during flu season.
Moderna's mFLUSIVA has the same basic approach, but because mRNA vaccines are much faster to manufacture, the strains included in the vaccine can be selected much closer to the flu season, improving the chance of matching the variants that actually circulate.
Moderna's mFLUSIVA proved more effective than traditional flu vaccines in Phase 3 studies. And this is a reasonably large market, worth about $9 billion in 2025, according to some estimates, and it will continue to grow over the medium term. So, this was an important approval for the biotech company.
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But Moderna had an even bigger win. The company's intismeran autogene, a personalized cancer vaccine it is developing with Merck (MRK +2.26%), posted excellent Phase 3 clinical trial results. Intismeran autogene improved recurrence-free survival in certain patients with melanoma when administered with Merck's Keytruda, compared to Keytruda alone.
This win addressed an important question many investors had: Can Moderna be highly successful outside the infectious disease market? The answer seems to be a resounding yes. And Moderna's eventual entry into oncology could prove highly lucrative.
Too late to buy?Moderna's market cap has now soared to $77 billion, a substantial amount for a company that still generates little revenue and is unprofitable. In the second quarter, the company's top line came in at $145 million, versus the $142 million reported in the year-ago period. Moderna posted a net loss per share of $1.97, better than the $2.13 loss per share reported in the prior-year quarter.
Of course, what matters most to the market is future cash flows, and based on recent clinical and regulatory progress, we can expect Moderna's revenue and earnings to improve significantly over the next few years. And the company could also make more clinical progress.
Moderna is running clinical trials for other promising mRNA-based candidates, including some with ambitious targets across oncology, infectious diseases, and other areas. Moderna could target other indications (beyond melanoma) with intismeran autogene.
The personalized cancer vaccine is undergoing several Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies for cancers of the bladder, lung, kidney, and other sites. But even with that taken into account, my view is that it is difficult to justify a $77 billion market cap for Moderna.
The business is innovative and improving, no doubt, but Wall Street may be right: Moderna's shares have risen beyond the company's intrinsic value. At current levels, I'd stay away from the stock and wait for a dip before initiating a position.
A protein-vaccine developer with no fresh catalyst just posted a double-digit gain that dwarfs what Moderna and Merck managed in the same session, and the explanation reveals something uncomfortable about how this stock actually moves.
Vaccine and biotechnology names are leading a sharp sector rally, and a small protein-vaccine developer is posting the biggest gain of the group. Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) shares recently changed hands at $12.77, up 16%. Also rallying, Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA | MRNA Price Prediction) shares are at $219.30, up 11%, a double-digit gain that still trails Novavax stock.
Meanwhile, Merck (NYSE:MRK) shares trade at $146.18, up 3%, representing a more measured gain for the largest drugmaker of the three. To frame the sector move, the iShares Biotechnology ETF (NASDAQ:IBB) is up 3%. For contrast, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) is up 0.5%, leaving biotechnology well out in front of the broad market.
Sector-Wide Bid Lifts Vaccine Developers No announcement, filing, analyst action, trial result or scheduled event accounts for the move in Novavax shares, and no fresh company-specific catalyst was identified. Breadth tells the rest of the story: a biotechnology fund rising far more than the broad market, with two vaccine developers posting double-digit gains at once. Novavax shares are riding that wave, just with greater amplitude.
That combination reads as a sector-wide bid in vaccine and biotechnology names. Within that bid, Novavax stock is the most sensitive of the group, which fits a business whose value depends on uneven milestone payments from larger partners.
Three Business Models Explain the Spread Novavax makes protein-based vaccines paired with its own Matrix-M adjuvant, a different approach from messenger RNA platforms such as Moderna’s. Over time, the company has moved toward licensing that technology to larger partners and away from commercializing vaccines itself, and partners carry the cost of bringing products to market under that arrangement.
That shift moves Novavax’s economics toward royalties and milestone payments. Such payments arrive unevenly and depend on partners hitting development steps, so Novavax shares respond sharply to anything that changes the odds of reaching them.
Moderna sells its own messenger RNA products and runs its own commercial operation, while Merck is a diversified large-cap drugmaker whose vaccine business is one line among many. Those structural differences are why the same sector bid moves the three companies by very different amounts.
Licensing Upside Meets Sentiment Risk Novavax’s bull case is built on capital efficiency. Its licensing model needs little capital to scale, and it gives the company exposure to its partners’ commercial reach without paying to build a sales force of its own. When partners keep advancing, that structure can convert their progress into revenue without heavy spending.
The skeptics may see a simpler and less comfortable story. The gain is a sentiment move. With nothing company-specific behind a double-digit gain, a stock that depends on partner milestones gives holders no way to tell when the next one lands.
What to Watch Next Partner milestone news could set the next direction for Novavax stock, since those payments shape the company’s revenue. Anyone following the group can watch for whether the biotechnology fund holds its lead over the SPY ETF, which would signal that the sector bid has staying power.
Position sizes in Novavax stock should stay modest, given how far the shares can travel on sentiment alone. Defining their risk in advance may matter more for a milestone-driven name than for a diversified drugmaker like Merck.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 100,519 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $14,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRK. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 15,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,273,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.9% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 132,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,274,000 after acquiring an additional 11,956 shares during the period. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at $878,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.3% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 66,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,679,000 after acquiring an additional 5,124 shares during the period. Finally, Titleist Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.6% in the third quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 2,353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $342,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This represents a 63.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
More Merck & Co., Inc. News Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week: Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved WELIREG plus LENVIMA for adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma previously treated with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor. The decision expands Merck’s oncology portfolio and could create another commercial opportunity beyond Keytruda. Merck also started a first-in-human trial using Cyprumed’s oral peptide-delivery platform, although that program remains at a very early stage. Merck Wins FDA Approval for WELIREG Plus LENVIMA in Kidney Cancer Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an “overweight” rating while trimming its price target modestly to $177, implying substantial upside based on the referenced price. The call indicates continued confidence in Merck’s long-term earnings and pipeline prospects. Morgan Stanley Raises Merck Analyst View Positive Sentiment: Merck’s shareholder dividend was highlighted as part of its income appeal, which may support investor interest while the company navigates product-cycle and patent risks. Merck Dividend Payment Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $145 but retained a “neutral” rating, suggesting limited near-term upside and a cautious view of Merck’s growth outlook. Cantor Fitzgerald Merck Price Target Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Innoviva and Merck frame MRK as a large-cap pharmaceutical value candidate, but provide no new company-specific catalyst likely to materially change the stock’s valuation today. INVA vs. MRK: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option? Negative Sentiment: A Dutch court granted Halozyme an injunction blocking Merck’s subcutaneous Keytruda in eight European markets. The ruling could delay or restrict commercialization of a potentially more convenient Keytruda formulation and heightens litigation risk. Halozyme Wins Court Order Blocking Merck’s Keytruda SC in Europe Negative Sentiment: Industry analysis identifies Merck as particularly exposed to near-term generic competition as major products approach patent losses. That raises concerns about revenue durability and increases the importance of successful launches such as WELIREG. Pharma’s $500 Billion Patent Problem Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $142.45 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $143.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $128.16. The firm has a market cap of $351.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.96, a P/E/G ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have issued reports on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. HSBC raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Berenberg Bank lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Argus boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 3rd. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.32.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Further Reading Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. Want Private-Market Access to Kalshi and Polymarket? Try This ETF Levi’s Stock Dip Reveals Value Opportunity Despite Q3 Headwinds PepsiCo Stock Looks Poised to Bottom With High Yield, Deep Value Alphabet’s $1.8 Billion Black Hills Deal Powers AI Data Center Push Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
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Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 9.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,641 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 11,956 shares during the quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $19,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $11,470,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,578,024 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,931,000 after acquiring an additional 51,393 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 6,184,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $794,577,000 after acquiring an additional 402,011 shares during the last quarter. Talon Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $995,000. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 410.5% during the 4th quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 705,442 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,255,000 after acquiring an additional 567,249 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRK. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $137.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.32.
Read Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc. Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.2% Shares of MRK opened at $142.45 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $143.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $128.16. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $351.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.
Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved WELIREG plus LENVIMA for adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma previously treated with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor. The decision expands Merck’s oncology portfolio and could create another commercial opportunity beyond Keytruda. Merck also started a first-in-human trial using Cyprumed’s oral peptide-delivery platform, although that program remains at a very early stage. Merck Wins FDA Approval for WELIREG Plus LENVIMA in Kidney Cancer Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an “overweight” rating while trimming its price target modestly to $177, implying substantial upside based on the referenced price. The call indicates continued confidence in Merck’s long-term earnings and pipeline prospects. Morgan Stanley Raises Merck Analyst View Positive Sentiment: Merck’s shareholder dividend was highlighted as part of its income appeal, which may support investor interest while the company navigates product-cycle and patent risks. Merck Dividend Payment Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $145 but retained a “neutral” rating, suggesting limited near-term upside and a cautious view of Merck’s growth outlook. Cantor Fitzgerald Merck Price Target Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Innoviva and Merck frame MRK as a large-cap pharmaceutical value candidate, but provide no new company-specific catalyst likely to materially change the stock’s valuation today. INVA vs. MRK: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option? Negative Sentiment: A Dutch court granted Halozyme an injunction blocking Merck’s subcutaneous Keytruda in eight European markets. The ruling could delay or restrict commercialization of a potentially more convenient Keytruda formulation and heightens litigation risk. Halozyme Wins Court Order Blocking Merck’s Keytruda SC in Europe Negative Sentiment: Industry analysis identifies Merck as particularly exposed to near-term generic competition as major products approach patent losses. That raises concerns about revenue durability and increases the importance of successful launches such as WELIREG. Pharma’s $500 Billion Patent Problem Insider Buying and Selling In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. Want Private-Market Access to Kalshi and Polymarket? Try This ETF Levi’s Stock Dip Reveals Value Opportunity Despite Q3 Headwinds PepsiCo Stock Looks Poised to Bottom With High Yield, Deep Value Alphabet’s $1.8 Billion Black Hills Deal Powers AI Data Center Push
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Apella Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,902 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,239 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $6,269,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after buying an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after acquiring an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 20,546,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,691,000 after acquiring an additional 701,249 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms recently weighed in on MRK. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 3rd. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $151.32.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc. Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.2% Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $142.45 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.01 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The company has a market capitalization of $351.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 113.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.42 and a beta of 0.21. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $143.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 272.00%.
Key Merck & Co., Inc. News Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved WELIREG plus LENVIMA for adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma previously treated with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor. The decision expands Merck’s oncology portfolio and could create another commercial opportunity beyond Keytruda. Merck also started a first-in-human trial using Cyprumed’s oral peptide-delivery platform, although that program remains at a very early stage. Merck Wins FDA Approval for WELIREG Plus LENVIMA in Kidney Cancer Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley maintained an “overweight” rating while trimming its price target modestly to $177, implying substantial upside based on the referenced price. The call indicates continued confidence in Merck’s long-term earnings and pipeline prospects. Morgan Stanley Raises Merck Analyst View Positive Sentiment: Merck’s shareholder dividend was highlighted as part of its income appeal, which may support investor interest while the company navigates product-cycle and patent risks. Merck Dividend Payment Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $145 but retained a “neutral” rating, suggesting limited near-term upside and a cautious view of Merck’s growth outlook. Cantor Fitzgerald Merck Price Target Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Innoviva and Merck frame MRK as a large-cap pharmaceutical value candidate, but provide no new company-specific catalyst likely to materially change the stock’s valuation today. INVA vs. MRK: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option? Negative Sentiment: A Dutch court granted Halozyme an injunction blocking Merck’s subcutaneous Keytruda in eight European markets. The ruling could delay or restrict commercialization of a potentially more convenient Keytruda formulation and heightens litigation risk. Halozyme Wins Court Order Blocking Merck’s Keytruda SC in Europe Negative Sentiment: Industry analysis identifies Merck as particularly exposed to near-term generic competition as major products approach patent losses. That raises concerns about revenue durability and increases the importance of successful launches such as WELIREG. Pharma’s $500 Billion Patent Problem Insider Activity In other news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total transaction of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% 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 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. Want Private-Market Access to Kalshi and Polymarket? Try This ETF Levi’s Stock Dip Reveals Value Opportunity Despite Q3 Headwinds PepsiCo Stock Looks Poised to Bottom With High Yield, Deep Value Alphabet’s $1.8 Billion Black Hills Deal Powers AI Data Center Push
Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
Investors looking for stocks in the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals sector might want to consider either Innoviva (INVA - Free Report) or Merck (MRK - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks is more attractive to value investors? We'll need to take a closer look to find out.
We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.
Right now, Innoviva is sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Merck has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that INVA is likely seeing its earnings outlook improve to a greater extent. But this is only part of the picture for value investors.
Value investors also tend to look at a number of traditional, tried-and-true figures to help them find stocks that they believe are undervalued at their current share price levels.
Our Value category highlights undervalued companies by looking at a variety of key metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, as well as the P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a variety of other fundamentals that have been used by value investors for years.
INVA currently has a forward P/E ratio of 9.12, while MRK has a forward P/E of 53.42. We also note that INVA has a PEG ratio of 3.04. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. MRK currently has a PEG ratio of 6.42.
Another notable valuation metric for INVA is its P/B ratio of 1.24. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, MRK has a P/B of 8.4.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to INVA's Value grade of A and MRK's Value grade of C.
INVA stands above MRK thanks to its solid earnings outlook, and based on these valuation figures, we also feel that INVA is the superior value option right now.
Key Takeaways Halozyme won a Dutch ruling finding Keytruda SC infringes an MDASE patent.Merck must stop making and selling Keytruda SC across eight European markets.Halozyme's ENHANZE business remains separate and supports royalties from 10 commercialized products. Halozyme Therapeutics (HALO - Free Report) announced that a Dutch patent court has issued a ruling in its favor in a patent dispute with Merck (MRK - Free Report) over Keytruda’s subcutaneous (SC) formulation.
The court found that Merck’s Keytruda SC infringes one of Halozyme’s MDASE patents, which covers technology used to deliver drugs through SC injection. The ruling orders Merck to stop manufacturing and selling Keytruda SC in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands. It also prevents Merck from allowing its affiliates to continue selling the drug in these markets, including through the use of its European marketing authorization.
However, the court order does not affect the intravenous (IV) version of Keytruda. Patients will continue to have access to Keytruda IV because it is not covered by Halozyme’s patent or the court’s injunction.
This is not the first legal victory Halozyme has secured against Merck over Keytruda SC. In December 2025, a German court granted Halozyme a preliminary injunction that stopped Merck from distributing or offering Keytruda SC in Germany. HALO has also filed a separate patent infringement lawsuit against MRK in the United States, alleging that Keytruda SC, marketed as Keytruda Qlex, infringes 15 of its MDASE patents.
MRK Seeks to Fight the RulingMerck strongly disagrees with the Dutch court’s decision, according to Reuters. It considers Halozyme’s patent to be invalid globally and said its infringement allegation is without merit. Merck is evaluating its next steps.
The ruling is nevertheless an important setback for Merck as it seeks to expand the use of Keytruda. The SC version is intended to help extend Keytruda’s commercial opportunity as Merck approaches the loss of U.S. patent protection for the original formulation, with biosimilar competition potentially beginning in December 2028. Currently, the IV and SC versions together generate nearly half of Merck’s topline, making Keytruda an important part of the company’s strategy to preserve and extend the franchise.
For Halozyme, the widening restrictions on Keytruda SC could provide greater leverage in its broader patent dispute with Merck. While the latest ruling does not guarantee a financial benefit for HALO, additional court wins could strengthen its position in any future licensing or settlement discussions with Merck.
Year to date, the company’s shares have surged 65% compared with the industry’s 1% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The Dispute Does Not Affect HALO’s ENHANZE BusinessHalozyme stated that the MDASE technology involved in the Merck dispute is separate from its ENHANZE technology and licensing program. This is particularly important for investors, given that ENHANZE is a major source of the company’s royalty revenues.
Halozyme has collaboration agreements with large pharma companies, like J&J (JNJ - Free Report) and argenx (ARGX - Free Report) , among others, which use its ENHANZE technology to develop SC formulations of their various approved drugs.
J&J uses the technology to administer the multiple myeloma therapy Darzalex (marketed as Darzalex Faspro/SC). On the other hand, argenx uses the same to deliver the generalized myasthenia gravis therapy Vyvgart, marketed as Vyvgart Hytrulo.
Per Halozyme, ENHANZE has been used in 10 commercialized products across more than 100 markets, while its growing number of partnerships provides further opportunities for milestone payments and royalties as new programs advance toward commercialization.
HALO’s Zacks RankHalozyme currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
In the latest trading session, Merck (MRK - Free Report) closed at $141.94, marking a +1.72% move from the previous day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.58% for the day. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.49%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.45%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the pharmaceutical company had lost 7.18% lagged the Medical sector's loss of 4.26% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.84%.
Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Merck in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on October 29, 2026. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $2.25, showcasing a 12.79% downward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $17.52 billion, indicating a 1.39% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
MRK's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $2.77 per share and revenue of $67.25 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of -69.15% and +3.44%, respectively.
Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in analyst estimates for Merck. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.
Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.07% lower within the past month. Merck currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Looking at its valuation, Merck is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 50.47. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 15.89.
Meanwhile, MRK's PEG ratio is currently 6.07. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.86 as of yesterday's close.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 100, placing it within the top 41% of over 250 industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.
Key Takeaways Merck's stock fell 7.2% in a month after gaining roughly 60% over the past year.Keytruda drives growth, while Winrevair, Welireg and Ohtuvayre add to the top line.Merck faces Gardasil weakness, generic pressure and Keytruda's 2028 patent expiration Merck’s (MRK - Free Report) stock has declined 7.2% in a month. Investors are looking at this correction as a pullback after a strong run rather than a deterioration in its core business. The stock has surged roughly 60% over the past year. It also reached a 52-week high of about $157 in late August.
In general, investors have become more confident in Merck’s growth outlook and ability to offset the eventual patent cliff of its blockbuster cancer drug, Keytruda, after 2028. Keytruda continues to deliver solid growth, while newer products such as Winrevair, Welireg and Ohtuvayre are scaling rapidly. Merck has also been aggressively building its pipeline through acquisitions and partnerships, and investors are increasingly giving credit to these efforts. Merck's partnership with Moderna (MRNA - Free Report) around the personalized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene has also become more important.
Let’s understand all these factors in detail and analyze Merck’s strengths and weaknesses to understand how to play the stock in such a scenario.
Merck’s Keytruda Engine Continues to Power Top-Line GrowthMerck has more than six blockbuster drugs in its portfolio, with Keytruda as the primary top-line driver. Keytruda, approved for several types of cancer, alone accounts for more than 55% of the company’s pharmaceutical sales. In the United States, Keytruda is approved for more than 45 indications spanning 19 tumor types, along with two tumor-agnostic approvals, as well as for many of these indications worldwide.
The drug has played an instrumental role in driving Merck’s steady revenue growth over the past few years. Keytruda sales are gaining from continued strong momentum in metastatic indications and rapid uptake across earlier-stage launches. The company expects the growth to continue till it loses patent exclusivity in 2028. More than 2,800 clinical studies are currently evaluating Keytruda across multiple cancer types and treatment settings.
Merck is working on different strategies to drive Keytruda's long-term growth. These include innovative immuno-oncology combinations, including Keytruda with LAG3 and CTLA-4 inhibitors. In partnership with Moderna, Merck is developing a personalized mRNA therapeutic cancer vaccine called intismeran autogene in combination with Keytruda in pivotal phase III studies for earlier-stage and adjuvant NSCLC and adjuvant melanoma. The combo therapy recently met both primary and secondary endpoints in a phase III study in certain patients with high-risk melanoma.
Merck’s subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda, known as Keytruda Qlex, was approved in the United States and EU in 2025 and generated sales of $590 million in the first half of 2026. Keytruda Qlex can offer substantially quicker administration time than the intravenous infusion of Keytruda.
Merck expects Keytruda to achieve peak sales of $35 billion by 2028. Merck’s other oncology drugs, Welireg, AstraZeneca (AZN - Free Report) -partnered Lynparza and Eisai-partnered Lenvima, are also contributing to top-line growth.
Merck’s Animal Health business is also a key contributor to its top-line growth, with sales expected to more than double by the mid-2030s.
Merck’s Pipeline Strengthens Its Outlook Beyond KeytrudaMerck’s expanding drug pipeline and potential new blockbuster drugs beyond Keytruda look encouraging.
Its phase III pipeline has almost tripled since 2021, supported by in-house progress as well as the addition of candidates through M&A deals. Merck expects to launch 20 new drugs by 2030, with many already launched.
Its new products, pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Winrevair, cancer drug Welireg and 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Capvaxive, have begun to contribute significantly to top-line growth.
Some new products approved/launched recently are RSV antibody, Enflonsia (clesrovimab), Idvynso, a once-daily, single-tablet two-drug regimen of doravirine and islatravir, and Lipfendra (enlicitide), an oral PCSK9 inhibitor to help reduce LDL cholesterol in adults with hypercholesterolemia.
Some key candidates in late-stage development are sacituzumab tirumotecan or sac-TMT, an anti-TROP2 antibody-drug conjugate for multiple tumor types, MK-8591D/islatravir plus lenacapavir, a once-weekly oral treatment for HIV, and alimatravir, a monthly oral HIV PrEP candidate.
Merck is actively pursuing acquisitions to prepare for Keytruda’s 2028 patent expiration. Recent deals added Ohtuvayre through Verona Pharma, influenza candidate MK-1406 through Cidara, and potential blockbuster cancer drug MK-4208 through Terns Pharmaceuticals.
Declining Sales of MRK’s Gardasil & Other VaccinesMerck’s Gardasil/Gardasil 9 franchise is facing a significant slowdown, with sales declining 9% in the first half of 2026 due to weaker demand in China, Japan and the United States. China remains the biggest challenge, as economic weakness has dampened demand and led to elevated channel inventories at partner Zhifei, prompting Merck to halt shipments temporarily.
Although limited shipments resumed in China in the second quarter under a revised agreement, the growing availability of lower-cost domestic HPV vaccines could further put pressure on Gardasil, an imported premium-priced vaccine. Gardasil China revenues are expected to remain immaterial for Merck in 2026. In the United States, Gardasil demand is being hurt by changes in vaccination recommendations, including greater use of single-dose schedules.
Sales of some other Merck vaccines, like Proquad, M-M-R II, Varivax, Rotateq and Vaxneuvance, also declined in the first half of 2026.
Keytruda’s 2028 Patent Loss a Key Risk for MerckMerck is heavily reliant on Keytruda. Though Keytruda may be Merck’s biggest strength and a solid reason to own the stock, the company is excessively dependent on the drug. Keytruda’s core U.S. patent is expected to expire around 2028, with additional patents expiring slightly after that. Keytruda is expected to face significant biosimilar competition around 2028-2029. Once biosimilars enter, Keytruda’s sales are likely to decline sharply.
Also, competitive pressure might increase for Keytruda in the near future from dual PD-1/VEGF inhibitors that inhibit both the PD-1 pathway and the VEGF pathway at once. They are designed to overcome the limitations of single-target therapies like Keytruda.
Merck’s Januvia and Other Drugs Face Generic PressureMRK is seeing declining demand for its diabetes products (Januvia/Janumet) and the generic erosion of some drugs like Isentress/Isentress HD and Bridion in the European Union and Dificid in the United States. Bridion lost market exclusivity in the United States in July 2026 and sales are expected to decline further in future quarters. Januvia and Janumet lost market exclusivity in the United States in May 2026 and Janumet XR in July 2026. Sales of Januvia/Janumet are expected to decline steeply in future quarters due to the government price setting in 2026 and 2027, the patent expiry in 2026 and ongoing competitive pressure.
MRK Share Price, Valuation & EstimatesMerck’s shares have risen 32.6% so far this year compared with an increase of 9.4% for the industry. The stock has also outperformed the sector as well as the S&P 500 index, as seen in the chart below.
From a valuation standpoint, Merck is slightly expensive. Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company’s shares currently trade at 17.44 forward earnings, slightly lower than 17.60 for the industry. The stock is trading above its 5-year mean of 12.98.
MRK Stock ValuationImage Source: Zacks Investment Research
Estimates for MRK’s 2026 earnings have declined from $3.04 per share to $2.77 per share over the past 60 days, while those for 2027 have declined from $9.72 per share to $9.61 per share.
MRK Estimate MovementImage Source: Zacks Investment Research
Stay Invested in MRK StockMerck has one of the world’s best-selling drugs in its portfolio, generating billions of dollars in revenues. Though Keytruda will lose patent exclusivity in 2028, its sales are expected to remain strong until then.
It expects more than $70 billion of potential non-risk-adjusted commercial opportunity for the current pipeline by the mid-2030s. This estimate is more than double the peak consensus sales estimate for Keytruda of $35 billion in 2028.
Merck faces several near-term challenges, including persistent challenges for Gardasil, potential competition for Keytruda, and rising competitive and generic pressure on some of its drugs. Near-term profitability remains affected by costs related to Merck’s various acquisitions. However, these acquisitions eventually benefit the company.
Meanwhile, its new products, strong progress in its pipeline, and business development and acquisitions have increased confidence that Merck may be able to maintain growth even after Keytruda loses exclusivity. Investors can continue to retain this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock as its long-term prospects remain intact. Given the recent decline, MRK could prove to be a potential buying opportunity for long-term investors. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Eastern Bank increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 195,900 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,140 shares during the quarter. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $28,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% during the third quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,024,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter valued at $66,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,783,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 105,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,557,000 after buying an additional 23,240 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance Shares of MRK traded down $4.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $140.17. 4,281,962 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,682,914. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $82.01 and a fifty-two week high of $156.92. The business’s 50 day moving average is $142.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $345.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 112.18, a P/E/G ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year. Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is currently 272.00%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRK shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued 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, Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $146.36.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MRK
Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc. In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
About Merck & Co., Inc. (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. What a $1 Billion Chip Deal Says About Amazon’s AI Ambitions 3 Stocks Benefiting From AI Demand Just Announced Major Buybacks Insiders Are Selling These 3 Stocks, Should You? Datadog’s Rally Has Insiders Selling—Can It Keep Climbing? Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
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Rockland Trust Co. lowered its position in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 458,433 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,616 shares during the quarter. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 2.5% of Rockland Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $66,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Polaris Financial Partners bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,783,000 after buying an additional 185 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 28.3% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 105,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,557,000 after buying an additional 23,240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,996,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $513,599,000 after acquiring an additional 143,914 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 2.8% Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $4.02 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $140.28. 4,380,871 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,682,914. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $142.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $346.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 112.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $82.01 and a 52-week high of $156.92.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 272.00%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts have commented on MRK shares. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.36.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.
Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. The trade was a 50.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last ninety days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
About Merck & Co., Inc. (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. A Manufacturing Surprise Could Be a Big Win for These 2 Companies What a $1 Billion Chip Deal Says About Amazon’s AI Ambitions 3 Stocks Benefiting From AI Demand Just Announced Major Buybacks Insiders Are Selling These 3 Stocks, Should You? Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
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Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 369,628 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,016 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $53,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 195,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,466,000 after purchasing an additional 4,140 shares during the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the third quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,024,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Polaris Financial Partners acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at $66,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,292,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. This trade represents a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several analysts recently commented on MRK shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $146.36. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance MRK traded down $4.05 during trading on Monday, hitting $140.25. 4,319,302 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,682,914. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $142.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.01 and a twelve month high of $156.92. The company has a market cap of $346.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 112.13, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The business had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.
About Merck & Co., Inc. (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. A Manufacturing Surprise Could Be a Big Win for These 2 Companies What a $1 Billion Chip Deal Says About Amazon’s AI Ambitions 3 Stocks Benefiting From AI Demand Just Announced Major Buybacks Insiders Are Selling These 3 Stocks, Should You?
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Park National Corp OH trimmed its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,805 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,788 shares during the quarter. Park National Corp OH’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $17,554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bullseye Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Graney & King LLC lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc. In related news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.00, for a total value of $1,965,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,303. The trade was a 24.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance Shares of MRK traded down $3.91 on Monday, reaching $140.39. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,466,128 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,683,654. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $127.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $346.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 112.33, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.26) by $0.13. The business had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 272.00%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have commented on MRK shares. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $142.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Argus increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $146.36.
Check Out Our Latest Report on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc. A Manufacturing Surprise Could Be a Big Win for These 2 Companies What a $1 Billion Chip Deal Says About Amazon’s AI Ambitions 3 Stocks Benefiting From AI Demand Just Announced Major Buybacks Insiders Are Selling These 3 Stocks, Should You?
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Argent Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 166,757 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,922 shares during the period. Argent Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $24,231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 226,999,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,169,479,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after buying an additional 1,087,583 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 86,249,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,083,033,000 after buying an additional 1,934,312 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 30,774,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,701,831,000 after buying an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 20,546,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,691,000 after buying an additional 701,249 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Insider Buying and Selling In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.72, for a total value of $2,407,836.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,084,069.32. This trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock worth $29,977,783 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Argus raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $142.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.36. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance Shares of NYSE MRK traded down $4.05 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $140.25. The stock had a trading volume of 4,204,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,682,108. The company has a market capitalization of $346.03 billion, a PE ratio of 112.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.21. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $142.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.40. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $82.01 and a 1 year high of $156.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 272.00%.
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile (Free Report)
Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops and markets prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal-health products. The company serves patients, healthcare providers, and customers in markets around the world, with research and commercial operations spanning multiple geographic regions.
Its pharmaceutical portfolio includes oncology, infectious-disease, cardiovascular, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Key products include Keytruda, an oncology treatment; Gardasil, a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; Januvia and Janumet for type 2 diabetes; Bridion for anesthesia-related use; and Winrevair for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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