Merck & Co Inc [NYSE: MRK] jumped around 16789920.71 points on Friday, while shares priced at $16790000.0 at the close of the session, up 34052296%.
Compared to the average trading volume of 16.79M shares, MRK reached a trading volume of 34052296 in the most recent trading day, which is why market watchdogs consider the stock to be active.
What do top market gurus say about Merck & Co Inc [MRK]?
Based on careful and fact-backed analyses by Wall Street experts, the current consensus on the target price for MRK shares is $102.10 per share. Analysis on target price and performance of stocks is usually carefully studied by market experts, and the current Wall Street consensus on MRK stock is a recommendation set at 1.88. This rating represents a strong Buy recommendation, on the scale from 1 to 5, where 5 would mean strong sell, 4 represents Sell, 3 is Hold, and 2 indicates Buy.
Citigroup have made an estimate for Merck & Co Inc shares, keeping their opinion on the stock as Neutral, with their previous recommendation back on May 14, 2025. While these analysts kept the previous recommendation, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price to Neutral. The new note on the price target was released on April 22, 2025, representing the official price target for Merck & Co Inc stock. Previously, the target price had yet another drop from $128 to $105, while Deutsche Bank kept a Hold rating on MRK stock. On February 10, 2025, analysts decreased their price target for MRK shares from 121 to 100.
The Price to Book ratio for the last quarter was 4.12, with the Price to Cash per share for the same quarter was set at 3.72. Price to Free Cash Flow for MRK in the course of the last twelve months was 11.65 with Quick ratio for the last quarter at 1.16.
How has MRK stock performed recently?
Merck & Co Inc [MRK] fell into the red zone at the end of the last week, falling into a negative trend and dropping by -3.37. With this latest performance, MRK shares gained by 1.40% in over the last four-week period, additionally sinking by -20.99% over the last 6 months – not to mention a drop of -20.53% in the past year of trading.
Merck & Co Inc [MRK]: Deeper insight into the fundamentals
Operating Margin for any stock indicates how profitable investing would be, and Merck & Co Inc [MRK] shares currently have an operating margin of 34.71% and a Gross Margin at 74.68%. Merck & Co Inc’s Net Margin is presently recorded at 27.33%.
Return on Equity for this stock inclined to 15.78%, with Return on Assets sitting at 15.78%.
Earnings analysis for Merck & Co Inc [MRK]
The progress of the company may be observed through the prism of EPS growth rate, while Wall Street analysts are focusing on predicting the 5-year EPS growth rate for MRK. When it comes to the mentioned value, analysts are expecting to see the 5-year EPS growth rate for Merck & Co Inc go to 11.64%.
Insider trade positions for Merck & Co Inc [MRK]
There are presently around $80.71%, or 80.76%% of MRK stock, in the hands of institutional investors. The top three institutional holders of MRK stocks are: VANGUARD GROUP INC with ownership of 244.68 million shares, which is approximately 9.6558%. BLACKROCK INC., holding 207.3 million shares of the stock with an approximate value of $$25.66 billion in MRK stocks shares; and BLACKROCK INC., currently with $$14.63 billion in MRK stock with ownership which is approximately 4.6365%.
