Argus Increases Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target to $170.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) had its target price increased by research analysts at Argus from $145.00 to $170.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Argus’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 12.83% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $143.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.35.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $150.67 on Tuesday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.58 and a 52 week high of $154.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $371.73 billion, a PE ratio of 120.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $128.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.53.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.26) by $0.13. The company had revenue of $16.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.37 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 16.73%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.660-2.760 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total value of $10,718,839.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 52,847 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.77, for a total value of $6,805,108.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 31,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,084,069.32. The trade was a 62.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 228,238 shares of company stock valued at $29,977,783 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Graney & King LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFC & Insurance Marketing Inc. acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. 76.07% of the stock is 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.