Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Stock Price

21 Mar 2026, 06:30 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Citigroup from $120.00 to $125.00 in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on MRK. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.13.

Read Our Latest Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $114.17 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $282.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $115.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $125.14.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 28.08% and a return on equity of 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.72 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly 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. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Insider Activity at Merck & Co., Inc.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,759,460.58. This represents a 13.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,583,278.39. This represents a 41.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Merck & Co., Inc.

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingdom Financial Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(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.