Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Raised to $180.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price hoisted by Scotiabank from $155.00 to $180.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sector outperform rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $150.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. 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 report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded 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 research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased 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. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.76.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

MRK stock opened at $143.63 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $142.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.19. 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 12-month low of $82.01 and a 12-month high of $156.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $354.35 billion, a PE ratio of 114.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.33 and a beta of 0.21.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS 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 analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.73% and a net margin of 4.77%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. 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 is currently 272.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares of the company’s stock, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,073,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 120,413,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,573,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,087,583 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,934,312 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,919,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 701,249 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Merck reported that investigational drug tulisokibart met the primary endpoint in a Phase 2b trial for moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa. Both medium- and high-dose regimens were superior to placebo at week 16, supporting the drug’s potential as a future growth product beyond Keytruda. Merck says experimental skin disease drug meets main goal in mid-stage study
• Positive Sentiment: UBS Securities described the tulisokibart results as solid, and the data presented at the EADV 2026 Congress showed potential for the TL1A-targeting antibody in a substantial chronic skin-disease market. The results could strengthen confidence in Merck’s pipeline and diversify future revenue. Merck’s Tulisokibart Data From Hidradenitis Suppurativa Trial Looks Solid
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank reportedly sees meaningful additional appreciation potential for MRK, while recent commentary continues to highlight Merck’s dividend and newer-product pipeline as potential supports for the shares. Scotiabank Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Merck Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck will release third-quarter 2026 results and hold its earnings conference call on October 29. Investors may look for updates on sales trends, guidance and the outlook for Keytruda replacement products. Merck to Hold Third-Quarter 2026 Sales and Earnings Conference Call
• Negative Sentiment: Investor caution over Merck’s looming patent cliff and acquisition-related debt may be offsetting the tulisokibart news. Commentary also notes that MRK has already rallied sharply and trades at a demanding valuation, increasing the risk of profit-taking or disappointment. JNJ or MRK: One Dividend Is Built to Last, One Faces a Reckoning

About Merck & Co., Inc.

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.