Merck & Co Inc [NYSE: MRK] plunged by -$0.66 during the normal trading session on Monday and reaching a high of $81.6434 during the day while it closed the day at $80.03.
Merck & Co Inc stock has also gained 0.21% of its value over the past 7 days. However, MRK stock has inclined by 5.34% in the 3 months of the year. Over the past six months meanwhile, it has lost -8.31% and lost -28.86% year-on date.
The market cap for MRK stock reached $199.90 billion, with 2.50 billion shares outstanding and 2.50 billion shares in the current float. Compared to the average trading volume of 15.06M shares, MRK reached a trading volume of 8209532 in the most recent trading day, which is why market watchdogs consider the stock to be active.
Here’s what leading stock market gurus have to 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 $100.60 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 2.04. 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 4.09, with the Price to Cash per share for the same quarter was set at 3.47. Price to Free Cash Flow for MRK in the course of the last twelve months was 13.58 with Quick ratio for the last quarter at 1.17.
MRK stock trade performance evaluation
Merck & Co Inc [MRK] gain into the green zone at the end of the last week, gaining into a positive trend and gaining by 0.21. With this latest performance, MRK shares dropped by -3.99% in over the last four-week period, additionally sinking by -8.31% over the last 6 months – not to mention a drop of -19.55% in the past year of trading.
Overbought and oversold stocks can be easily traced with the Relative Strength Index (RSI), where an RSI result of over 70 would be overbought, and any rate below 30 would indicate oversold conditions. An RSI rate of 50 would represent a neutral market momentum. The current RSI for MRK stock in for the last two-week period is set at 46.58, with the RSI for the last a single of trading hit 2.11, and the three-weeks RSI is set at 2.11 for Merck & Co Inc [MRK]. The present Moving Average for the last 50 days of trading for this stock 80.66, while it was recorded at 80.26 for the last single week of trading, and 89.23 for the last 200 days.
Merck & Co Inc [MRK]: An insightful look at the core fundamentals
Operating Margin for any stock indicates how profitable investing would be, and Merck & Co Inc [MRK] shares currently have an operating margin of 35.05% and a Gross Margin at 75.25%. Merck & Co Inc’s Net Margin is presently recorded at 25.87%.
Merck & Co Inc (MRK) Capital Structure & Debt Analysis
According to recent financial data for Merck & Co Inc. ( MRK), the Return on Equity (ROE) stands at 35.44%, highlighting impressive shareholder gains. The Return on Assets (ROA) is 14.26%, reflecting the company’s efficiency in generating profits from its assets. Additionally, Merck & Co Inc’s Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) is 19.78%, showcasing its effectiveness in deploying capital for earnings.
Merck & Co Inc (MRK) Efficiency & Liquidity Metrics
Based on Merck & Co Inc’s (MRK) latest financial statements, the Debt-to-Equity Ratio is 0.72%, indicating its reliance on debt financing relative to shareholder equity.
Merck & Co Inc (MRK) Efficiency & Liquidity Metrics
From an operational efficiency perspective, Merck & Co Inc. (MRK) effectively leverages its workforce, generating an average of $218800.0 per employee. The company’s liquidity position is robust, with a Current Ratio of 1.42% and a Quick Ratio of 1.17%, indicating strong ability to cover short-term liabilities.
Earnings per share (EPS) analysis for Merck & Co Inc [MRK] stock
With the latest financial reports released by the company, Merck & Co Inc posted 1.57/share EPS, while the average EPS was predicted by analysts to be reported at 1.57/share. 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 11.21%.
Merck & Co Inc [MRK]: Institutional Ownership
There are presently around $80.80%, or 80.85%% 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%.
