Cantor Fitzgerald Reiterates “Neutral” Rating for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $120.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 7.22% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.83.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE MRK opened at $129.34 on Monday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.66 and a fifty-two week high of $130.29. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $117.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.47. The firm has a market cap of $319.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 13.59%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 58.9% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.