MRKHealthcare · Drug Manufacturers - GeneralThe 27 Wall Street analysts covering Merck & Co., Inc. hold a median 12-month price target of $161 — +13.4% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 83 of 100 as at 6 Oct 2026 — inside the top quartile. Here, the model and the Street point the same way.
Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores Merck & Co., Inc. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.
Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested
Volatility (100): The share price has been relatively steady.
Growth (38): Sales and profits are flat, shrinking, or growing more slowly than they were.
Size (1): Larger than most of the companies we track — more scrutinised, less often mispriced.
Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs quant trader with fourteen years in markets.
The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on MRK, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.
Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.
Data provided by Twelve Data
The green dot is the last close — the median target sits +13.4% from it.
Of the 20 most recent actions, 11 moved their price target up and 0 moved it down.
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 2026 | JP Morgan | Maintains | Overweight | $150 → $165 |
| 29 Sept 2026 | Scotiabank | Maintains | Sector Outperform | $155 → $180 |
| 10 Sept 2026 | HSBC | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 10 Sept 2026 | HSBC | Maintains | Buy | $150 → $172 |
| 9 Sept 2026 | Leerink Partners | Maintains | Outperform | — |
| 9 Sept 2026 | Leerink Partners | Maintains | Outperform | $127 → $161 |
| 8 Sept 2026 | Guggenheim | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 8 Sept 2026 | Guggenheim | Maintains | Buy | $146 → $170 |
| 4 Sept 2026 | Wells Fargo | Maintains | Overweight | $150 → $170 |
| 4 Sept 2026 | Wells Fargo | Maintains | Overweight | — |
| 25 Aug 2026 | Argus Research | Maintains | Buy | $145 → $170 |
| 25 Aug 2026 | Argus Research | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 25 Aug 2026 | Wolfe Research | Maintains | Outperform | — |
| 25 Aug 2026 | Wolfe Research | Maintains | Outperform | $155 → $180 |
| 21 Aug 2026 | Goldman Sachs | Maintains | Buy | — |
| 21 Aug 2026 | Goldman Sachs | Maintains | Buy | $140 → $160 |
| 20 Aug 2026 | BMO Capital | Maintains | Outperform | — |
| 20 Aug 2026 | BMO Capital | Maintains | Outperform | $142 → $170 |
| 20 Aug 2026 | Morgan Stanley | Upgrade | Overweight | $116 → $179 |
| 20 Aug 2026 | Morgan Stanley | Upgrade | Overweight | — |
Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.
Computed off the Friday close and sent before the US open.
Market Radar reports the week’s largest rank changes across roughly 4,600 US stocks, the factor behind each one, and where the market went. MRK appears on the weeks it earns a place.
Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.
Over the twelve months to 6 Oct 2026, Merck & Co., Inc. returned +64.5% against +17.3% for the S&P 500, dividends included.
Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.
Data provided by Twelve Data
Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.
A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.
Cheaper than 6% of US stocks
Cheaper than 24% of US stocks
Cheaper than 11% of US stocks
Cheaper than 26% of US stocks
Higher than 39% of US stocks
Higher than 42% of US stocks
Higher than 86% of US stocks
Higher than 32% of US stocks
Higher than 59% of US stocks
Higher than 57% of US stocks
Higher than 95% of US stocks
Higher than 81% of US dividend payers
Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.
The headline figures, each with its date. Every row carries its own link — cite it straight from here.
Merck & Co., Inc. has a market value of $350.2B and an enterprise value of $391.1B.
Revenue in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $66.6B. The latest quarter grew 5.1% year on year.
Net income over the same four quarters: $3.2B, a 4.8% net margin.
Diluted earnings per share, trailing twelve months: $1.25.
Free cash flow in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $16.1B, after $3.9B of capital spending.
Merck & Co., Inc. spent $4.2B on share buybacks and $8.3B on dividends in the twelve months to 30 June 2026.
Trailing P/E: 112.7×; forward P/E: 15.0× — the forward figure prices analyst consensus estimates, not reported earnings.
Forward dividend yield: 2.40%, paying out 267% of earnings.
Merck & Co., Inc. employs 73,000 people — $912K of revenue per employee.
Data provided by Twelve Data
The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.
Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.
The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own Merck & Co., Inc. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →
Merck (MRK) closed at $141.94, up 1.72% from its previous close. The headline characterizes the stock as outperforming the broader market’s upswing.
Why it matters — MRK watchers may note the reported closing price and daily change relative to the market move.
Merck shares are down 7% over the past month. The source says Keytruda growth, along with new products and pipeline assets, may support the company's post-2028 outlook.
Why it matters — MRK watchers may note the recent share decline alongside the growth drivers and longer-term outlook cited in the item.
Vaxcyte's stock rose 57% after its lead vaccine candidate showed promising trial results, positioning it to compete with Pfizer and Merck for share of a $3 billion to $6 billion market, according to Jefferies.
Why it matters — A competitive vaccine candidate from Vaxcyte could pose a threat to Merck's vaccine franchise in the market.
A weekly summary from Seeking Alpha reports on dividend activity among Dividend Champions, Contenders, and Challengers, including companies that changed their dividends and those with upcoming ex-dividend dates, for the week of October 4.
Why it matters — MRK watchers follow this dividend-focused digest to track changes and ex-dividend dates that may be relevant to their income-focused holdings.
Moderna and Merck are pursuing a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine targeting a multi-billion-dollar market. Wall Street analysts caution that the market's optimism may have led to inflated valuations.
Why it matters — A MRK watcher would care because Merck's oncology pipeline and potential vaccine revenue could be affected by market enthusiasm and analyst concerns about valuation.
The 27 Wall Street analysts covering Merck & Co., Inc. have a median 12-month price target of $161, with estimates ranging from $105 to $186. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.
Of the 27 analysts covering Merck & Co., Inc., 19 rate it a Buy, 8 a Hold and 0 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks Merck & Co., Inc. 83 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 6 Oct 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.
As at 6 Oct 2026, Merck & Co., Inc. ranks 83 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Volatility (100 of 100).
No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 27 analysts implies +13.4% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Merck & Co., Inc. 83 out of 100 as at 6 Oct 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.
No analyst covering Merck & Co., Inc. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for MRK are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business. The furthest attributed numbers are the current analyst targets: $105 to $186 over the next 12 months.
Merck & Co., Inc. returned +64.5% over the 12 months to 6 Oct 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products.
The most recent item we track (Zacks Investment Research, 6 Oct 2026): "Merck (MRK) Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know". Merck (MRK) closed at $141.94, up 1.72% from its previous close. The headline characterizes the stock as outperforming the broader market’s upswing.
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products. The company’s pharmaceutical business serves areas such as oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, cardiometabolic conditions, neuroscience, and hospital care, while its vaccine portfolio supports preventive care across pediatric, adolescent, and adult populations. Merck & Co., Inc. also operates an animal health segment that provides veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions for livestock and companion animals. Its products are distributed through healthcare providers, wholesalers, pharmacies, hospitals, veterinarians, and government channels, giving the company a broad role across human and animal health markets. Headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, Merck & Co., Inc. is recognized for its research-intensive model and its presence in essential therapeutic and preventive care categories worldwide.
CEO Mr. Robert M. Davis J.D. · 73,000 employees · United States · https://www.merck.com
