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MRK Stock Forecast: Merck & Co., Inc. Price Predictions for 2026-2027

Last close, 28 Oct 2026
$141
−0.63% on the day

The 27 Wall Street analysts covering Merck & Co., Inc. hold a median 12-month price target of $165 — +17.1% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 79 of 100 as at 27 Oct 2026 — inside the top quartile. Here, the model and the Street point the same way.

Market cap
$349.9B
Ticker Nerd rank
79/ 100
Median analyst target
$165
Analysts covering
27
Revenue$16.6B+5.1% y/y
Operating income−$433.0M
Net income−$1.3B
Free cash flow$4.5B
Quarterly, 8 quarters to 30 June 2026 · latest quarter's figure shown
Total return, dividends reinvested
1W
−6.0%
1M
−5.2%
YTD
+36.6%
1Y
+66.7%
From 52W high
−9.4%
From 52W low
+75.8%
$80
$156
52-week range, adjusted closes · the dot is the last close
Ticker Nerd rank

MRK stock analysis: one number for the whole business

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.

Where the model ranks itAs at 27 Oct 2026
79/ 100

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
Value
99
Quality
99
Momentum
92
Accruals
72
Revisions
51
Issuance
41
Growth
39
Size
1

Volatility (100): The share price has been relatively steady.

Growth (39): 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 systematic trader with 15+ years in markets.

Wall Street

MRK stock forecast 2026-2027: analyst price targets & predictions

The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on MRK, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.

Share price and the analyst range, 12 monthsAdjusted close, US dollars
$80$100$120$140$160$180$200Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26Oct 26MRKHigh $186Median $165Low $105

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

What Wall Street says27 analysts
19 Buy8 Hold0 Sell
Low $105Median $165High $186

The green dot is the last close — the median target sits +17.1% from it.

Recent analyst actionsNewest first

Of the 20 most recent actions, 11 moved their price target up and 2 moved it down.

DateFirmActionRatingTarget
12 Oct 2026CitigroupMaintainsNeutral$125 → $145
12 Oct 2026RBC CapitalMaintainsSector Perform$150 → $145
8 Oct 2026Cantor FitzgeraldMaintainsNeutral$120 → $145
7 Oct 2026Morgan StanleyMaintainsOverweight$179 → $177
5 Oct 2026JP MorganMaintainsOverweight$150 → $165
29 Sept 2026ScotiabankMaintainsSector Outperform—
29 Sept 2026ScotiabankMaintainsSector Outperform$155 → $180
10 Sept 2026HSBCMaintainsBuy—
10 Sept 2026HSBCMaintainsBuy$150 → $172
9 Sept 2026Leerink PartnersMaintainsOutperform$127 → $161
9 Sept 2026Leerink PartnersMaintainsOutperform—
8 Sept 2026GuggenheimMaintainsBuy$146 → $170
8 Sept 2026GuggenheimMaintainsBuy—
4 Sept 2026Wells FargoMaintainsOverweight$150 → $170
4 Sept 2026Wells FargoMaintainsOverweight—
25 Aug 2026Argus ResearchMaintainsBuy$145 → $170
25 Aug 2026Argus ResearchMaintainsBuy—
25 Aug 2026Wolfe ResearchMaintainsOutperform$155 → $180
25 Aug 2026Wolfe ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
21 Aug 2026Goldman SachsMaintainsBuy$140 → $160

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Market Radar

This page is one stock. Monday covers all of them.

MRK appears in the Radar on the weeks it earns a place.

  • Market Radar, every Monday: the week's biggest rank moves across ~4,600 US stocks, and the reason for each.
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Performance

MRK vs the S&P 500

Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.

Over the twelve months to 28 Oct 2026, Merck & Co., Inc. returned +66.7% against +13.6% for the S&P 500, dividends included.

MRK vs S&P 500, last 12 monthsTotal return, rebased to 100
100120140160180Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26Oct 26MRKS&P 500

Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.

Data provided by Twelve Data

Estimates

MRK analyst estimate revisions

Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.

Which way the estimates are movingNext fiscal year
EPS revision, 90 days
−3.4%
Analysts raising
0
Analysts cutting
10
Fundamentals

Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) financial data

A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.

Valuation
Trailing P/E
114.4×

Cheaper than 6% of US stocks

Price / sales
5.3×

Cheaper than 22% of US stocks

Price / book
8.3×

Cheaper than 11% of US stocks

EV / EBITDA
13.7×

Cheaper than 26% of US stocks

Growth & margins
Revenue growth (YoY)
5.1%

Higher than 40% of US stocks

Earnings growth (YoY)
5.1%

Higher than 42% of US stocks

Gross margin
73.5%

Higher than 86% of US stocks

Operating margin
−0.2%

Higher than 32% of US stocks

Net margin
4.8%

Higher than 59% of US stocks

Returns & dividend
Return on equity
7.0%

Higher than 57% of US stocks

Return on assets
11.9%

Higher than 95% of US stocks

Dividend yield
2.4%

Higher than 82% of US dividend payers

Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.

Key statistics

Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) statistics: revenue, profit & scale

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 $349.9B and an enterprise value of $396.7B.

  • 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.

  • Shares outstanding: 2.5B.

  • Trailing P/E: 114.4×; forward P/E: 15.3× — 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.

Statement figures: company filings via Twelve Data, four quarters to 30 June 2026 · market figures as at 29 Oct 2026

Data provided by Twelve Data

Peers

MRK vs competitors

The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.

Its peer group, ranked by the same modelDrug Manufacturers - General
CompanyMarket capTKN rank
MRKMerck & Co., Inc.$349.9B79
ABBVAbbVie, Inc.$506.0B94
AMGNAmgen, Inc.$241.5B94
GILDGilead Sciences, Inc.$197.5B98
JNJJohnson & Johnson$647.6B84
PFEPfizer Inc.$169.4B81
BMYBristol Myers Squibb Co.$125.3B95

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 →

News

Latest MRK news & analysis

Brokers Suggest Investing in Merck (MRK): Read This Before Placing a Bet

Zacks Investment Research · 28 Oct 2026neutral

Zacks Investment Research notes that investors often consider Wall Street analyst recommendations when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. It also says reports of rating changes by brokerage-employed analysts can affect a stock's price.

Why it matters — MRK watchers may follow brokerage analyst ratings because reports of rating changes can influence the stock's price.

3 Big Pharma Earnings Reports to Watch: Eli Lilly, Merck and Gilead

24/7 Wall Street · 28 Oct 2026negative

The article flags upcoming earnings reports from Eli Lilly, Merck and Gilead, noting that Merck faces a comparison it cannot repeat.

Why it matters — Merck watchers may want to note the challenging comparison highlighted ahead of the company’s earnings report.

What's in Store for These 5 Drug/Biotech Stocks in Q3 Earnings?

Zacks Investment Research · 27 Oct 2026neutral

A Zacks Investment Research item notes that Merck, Bristol Myers, Eli Lilly, AbbVie and Gilead Sciences are preparing to report Q3’26 results, putting biotech earnings in focus.

Why it matters — MRK watchers may follow the company’s upcoming Q3’26 results alongside reports from other major drug and biotech companies.

Merck and Moderna's Cancer Vaccine Worked—Who Gets Paid?

MarketBeat · 27 Oct 2026positive

Merck and Moderna said their personalized melanoma vaccine succeeded in a Phase 3 trial, clearing a milestone no cancer vaccine had reached before.

Why it matters — The trial result is relevant to MRK because Merck partnered with Moderna on the cancer vaccine.

Is Merck Stock a Buy, Sell or Hold Ahead of Q3 Earnings?

Zacks Investment Research · 27 Oct 2026negative

Ahead of Q3 earnings, Merck is seeing strong Keytruda sales and growth from new drugs, while declining estimates, Gardasil weakness and looming patent risks cloud its outlook.

Why it matters — These competing business trends and patent concerns frame the factors MRK watchers may consider as the company approaches its Q3 earnings report.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about MRK stock

What is the MRK stock price forecast for 2026-2027?

The 27 Wall Street analysts covering Merck & Co., Inc. have a median 12-month price target of $165, with estimates ranging from $105 to $186. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Is MRK stock a buy right now?

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. 79 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 27 Oct 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.

How does Ticker Nerd's model rank MRK?

As at 27 Oct 2026, Merck & Co., Inc. ranks 79 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).

Will MRK stock go up?

No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 27 analysts implies +17.1% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Merck & Co., Inc. 79 out of 100 as at 27 Oct 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.

What is the MRK stock forecast for 2030?

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.

How has MRK stock performed over the past year?

Merck & Co., Inc. returned +66.7% over the 12 months to 28 Oct 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.

What does Merck & Co., Inc. do?

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global healthcare company focused on developing, manufacturing, and delivering prescription medicines, vaccines, and biologic therapies.

What is the latest news on MRK?

The most recent item we track (Zacks Investment Research, 28 Oct 2026): "Brokers Suggest Investing in Merck (MRK): Read This Before Placing a Bet". Zacks Investment Research notes that investors often consider Wall Street analyst recommendations when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. It also says reports of rating changes by brokerage-employed analysts can affect a stock's price.

Company

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global healthcare company focused on developing, manufacturing, and delivering prescription medicines, vaccines, and biologic therapies. Its human health portfolio addresses major disease areas including oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology, and hospital-based care. The company also operates an animal health business that provides veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and technology-supported solutions for livestock, companion animals, and aquaculture. Merck & Co., Inc. serves healthcare professionals, hospitals, governments, pharmacies, patients, veterinarians, farmers, and animal owners across international markets. Through research, clinical development, manufacturing, regulatory expertise, and commercial distribution, the company supports the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Its role in the pharmaceutical market spans innovative medicines, vaccines, and specialty therapies, while its animal health segment contributes to disease prevention and productivity across food-animal and pet-care industries. Merck & Co., Inc. is headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and operates as a major participant in the global healthcare sector.

CEO Mr. Robert M. Davis J.D. · 73,000 employees · United States · https://www.merck.com