Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates for Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK)

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) has recently received a number of price target changes and ratings updates:

• 10/12/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Citigroup Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 10/12/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target lowered by Royal Bank Of Canada from $150.00 to $145.00. They now have a “sector perform” rating on the stock.
• 10/8/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Cantor Fitzgerald from $120.00 to $145.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 10/7/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target lowered by Morgan Stanley from $179.00 to $177.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 10/5/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $150.00 to $165.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 10/3/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “buy” to “hold”.
• 9/29/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Scotiabank from $155.00 to $180.00. They now have a “sector outperform” rating on the stock.
• 9/23/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by TD Cowen from $137.00 to $155.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 9/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “buy”.
• 9/12/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “buy” to “hold”.
• 9/11/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Berenberg Bank from $127.00 to $137.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 9/10/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by HSBC Holdings plc from $150.00 to $172.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 9/9/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Leerink Partners from $127.00 to $161.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 9/8/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Guggenheim from $146.00 to $170.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 9/4/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $150.00 to $170.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 8/25/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Weiss Ratings from “hold (c-)” to “hold (c)”.
• 8/25/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Wolfe Research from $155.00 to $180.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 8/25/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Argus from $145.00 to $170.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/22/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “buy”.
• 8/21/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $140.00 to $160.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by BMO Capital Markets from $142.00 to $170.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by UBS Group AG from $145.00 to $175.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Royal Bank Of Canada from “outperform” to “sector perform”. They now have a $150.00 price target on the stock, up from $142.00.
• 8/20/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by Morgan Stanley from “equal weight” to “overweight”. They now have a $179.00 price target on the stock, up from $116.00.
• 8/19/2026 – Merck & Co., Inc. was downgraded by Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from “strong-buy” to “hold”.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP David Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total transaction of $6,805,108.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. This represents a 62.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,106,303. This represents a 24.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 in the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.