Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $142.00 to $150.00 in a report on Thursday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $144.10.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of MRK stock opened at $150.67 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $128.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.53. The company has a market cap of $371.73 billion, a PE ratio of 120.54, a P/E/G ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $77.58 and a fifty-two week high of $154.49. 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) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 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 quarter last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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 analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 7th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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 currently 272.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David R. Maraldo sold 18,706 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck & Co., Inc.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Graney & King LLC increased its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 400.0% in the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 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.