Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Raised to $170.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

MRK has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $148.60.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:MRK opened at $150.37 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.58 and a 1 year high of $156.92. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $134.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $123.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $370.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 120.30, a PEG ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. The business’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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Richard Deluca sold 11,699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 110,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,501,282.21. This represents a 9.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 18,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,344,248.64. This trade represents a 50.67% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. High Note Wealth LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.