What is Leerink Partnrs’ Estimate for MRK Q1 Earnings?

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) – Research analysts at Leerink Partnrs issued their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note issued on Wednesday, February 5th. Leerink Partnrs analyst D. Graybosch forecasts that the company will earn $2.26 per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Merck & Co., Inc.’s current full-year earnings is $7.62 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Merck & Co., Inc.’s FY2026 earnings at $9.30 EPS.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported $1.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.85 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $15.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.51 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.03 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wolfe Research began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Friday, November 15th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.33.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $87.26 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $99.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $220.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $87.12 and a 52-week high of $134.63.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 67.92%.

Merck & Co., Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $10.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 4.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, Director Inge G. Thulin acquired 2,833 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $88.25 per share, for a total transaction of $250,012.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $258,837.25. The trade was a 2,833.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Cristal N. Downing sold 2,361 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.76, for a total value of $209,562.36. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,085 shares in the company, valued at $628,864.60. This trade represents a 24.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 361,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,955,000 after acquiring an additional 32,726 shares during the last quarter. PFG Advisors increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 26,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,644,000 after acquiring an additional 3,489 shares during the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,391,000. AGF Management Ltd. increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 34,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,462,000 after acquiring an additional 7,319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $79,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company Profile

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.