Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Price Target Cut to $120.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) had its price objective cut by UBS Group from $125.00 to $120.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. HSBC upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Truist Financial restated a "hold" rating and issued a $110.00 price objective (down previously from $130.00) on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $123.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Merck & Co., Inc. from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $124.00.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of MRK traded down $1.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $99.84. The stock had a trading volume of 8,647,033 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,374,783. The firm has a market cap of $252.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.26. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.48 and a twelve month high of $134.63. 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.07. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 36.42% and a net margin of 19.23%. The business had revenue of $16.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.13 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc.'s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 7.73 EPS for the current year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th will be issued a $0.81 dividend. This is a boost from Merck & Co., Inc.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.92%.

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

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

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.