Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Raised to $120.00 at Citigroup

by · The Markets Daily

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by Citigroup from $115.00 to $120.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Citigroup’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 0.32% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $110.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.87.

Read Our Latest Research Report on MRK

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Up 3.3%

Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded up $3.78 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $119.62. The company had a trading volume of 9,962,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,295,803. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.44. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12-month low of $73.31 and a 12-month high of $119.93. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $105.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.48. The firm has a market cap of $296.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.28.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

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

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Chemung Canal Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 21.1% in the third quarter. Chemung Canal Trust Co. now owns 76,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,407,000 after purchasing an additional 13,285 shares during the period. First Pacific Financial increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 47,555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,991,000 after purchasing an additional 6,082 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.6% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 207,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,444,000 after buying an additional 18,187 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.3% during the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 39,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,121,000 after purchasing an additional 7,458 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Live Oak Investment Partners grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 209.1% in the 2nd quarter. Live Oak Investment Partners now owns 23,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,896,000 after acquiring an additional 16,202 shares during the period. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Merck & Co., Inc. News

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $135 and kept an “overweight” rating, highlighting upside from current levels and lending buy-side momentum. Wells Fargo price target raise
  • Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target to $120 (neutral rating), a modest vote of confidence that supports today’s gains. Cantor Fitzgerald price target raise
  • Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat: Merck reported $2.04 EPS and $16.4B revenue, beating consensus and driven by continued strength in Keytruda and newer products — a near‑term fundamental positive. Merck Q4 results press release
  • Neutral Sentiment: Detailed earnings/call coverage and transcripts provide color on pipeline progress and management’s caution — useful for positioning but not new directional news. Earnings call highlights
  • Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointment: Merck guided FY‑2026 EPS to $5.00–$5.15 and revenue to $65.5B–$67.0B, below Street estimates; management cited patent expirations (e.g., Januvia) and margin pressure, which sparked earlier weakness and remains the key headwind. Reuters: forecasts below estimates
  • Negative Sentiment: Analysts and media note Merck expects slower earnings growth as it increases spending on acquisitions and oncology investment — a structural drag on near‑term margins and growth assumptions. CNBC: guidance and strategy coverage

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Featured Articles