Morgan Stanley Lowers Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target to $113.00

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Morgan Stanley from $123.00 to $113.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's target price suggests a potential upside of 18.05% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on MRK. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $136.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $123.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:MRK traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $95.72. 13,069,582 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,479,509. The stock has a market cap of $242.13 billion, a PE ratio of 20.07, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.39. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.48 and a twelve month high of $134.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $99.91 and a 200 day moving average of $109.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 36.42%. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 121.8% in the second quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 326 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.