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

by · The Markets Daily

Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK):

  • 12/18/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating. They now have a $130.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $82.00.
  • 12/15/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its “hold (c)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
  • 12/15/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by analysts at Bank of America Corporation from $105.00 to $120.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
  • 12/12/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $100.00 to $102.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
  • 12/8/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its “hold (c)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
  • 12/4/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by analysts at Scotiabank from $105.00 to $120.00. They now have a “sector outperform” rating on the stock.
  • 12/2/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its “hold (c)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
  • 12/2/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from $92.00 to $120.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
  • 11/26/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its “hold (c)” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.
  • 11/24/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating. They now have a $125.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $90.00.
  • 11/18/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $110.00 to $111.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
  • 11/13/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. is now covered by analysts at Scotiabank. They set a “sector outperform” rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock.
  • 11/12/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by analysts at Scotiabank to a “strong-buy” rating.
  • 11/8/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating.
  • 11/3/2025 – Merck & Co., Inc. had its price target raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $98.00 to $100.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Merck & Co., Inc.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.81. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.91%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.

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