Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Price

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its price objective upped by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $145.00 to $150.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 16.40% from the stock’s current price.

MRK has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Zacks Research upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $138.00 price objective on the stock. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $132.11.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $128.87 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $318.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.66 and a 12 month high of $130.29. The business’s 50-day moving average is $117.95 and its 200 day moving average is $115.88.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The business had revenue of $16.29 billion for 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 company’s revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.22 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 5.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Red Spruce Capital LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.3% in the second quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 26,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.5% during the 2nd quarter. St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management LLC now owns 38,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,989,000 after buying an additional 3,031 shares during the last quarter. Westmount Partners LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.5% in the second quarter. Westmount Partners LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the company’s stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Clark Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 2.1% during the second quarter. Clark Asset Management LLC now owns 5,931 shares of the company’s stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evanson Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.