Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its price objective boosted by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target points to a potential upside of 13.13% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on MRK. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $115.20.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK traded up $3.49 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $119.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,444,919 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,049,555. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. The company has a market capitalization of $296.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.74, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.28. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $119.77. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $105.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.48.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 44.54%. The business had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 14,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,552,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 444 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Payne Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Payne Capital LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,120,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 1,554 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus: Merck topped EPS and revenue estimates for Q4 2025, driven by continued strength in Keytruda and other newer products, supporting near-term cash flow and validating commercial execution. Q4 Results (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterates heavy investment in oncology and pipeline programs — management emphasized continued investment and M&A activity to replenish growth, which could support longer-term upside if pipeline readouts succeed. Oncology investments (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Index / fund positioning commentary: Coverage about Merck’s role in S&P 500 funds and general sector positioning is background context for flows but not an immediate catalyst. S&P positioning (Kalkine)
• Negative Sentiment: 2026 guidance disappoints: Merck set FY2026 EPS of $5.00–$5.15 and revenue of $65.5B–$67.0B, missing consensus (~$5.86 EPS, ~$67.5B rev). The below-consensus outlook is the primary driver of today’s downside pressure. Guidance miss (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Patent expirations and generic pressure: Management warned that loss of exclusivity (notably Januvia and others) will hit 2026 sales more than some analysts expected, increasing short-term downside risk. Patent risk (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Slower near-term earnings growth as spending rises: Merck signaled slower earnings growth in 2026 as it spends on acquisitions and pipeline development — a drag on near-term margins and investor expectations. Spending and growth outlook (WSJ)

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.