NYSE · MRK
Healthcare · Drug Manufacturers - General
$148.35
Down-$1.28 (-0.86%)
Updated Aug 31, 2026, 6:50 AM
SID Score
8.7/10
Composite research score
Smart Money
59/100
Neutral
Price performance
1M range · 20 trading sessions · Daily adjusted prices
MRK closed at $148.35 after 20 trading sessions, up 16.11% for the selected period.
| Date | Open | High | Low | Close | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | $146.72 | $149.0078 | $145.75 | $148.35 | 8.07M |
| Aug 27, 2026 | $149.53 | $152.08 | $149.02 | $149.54 | 8.53M |
| Aug 26, 2026 | $154.35 | $155.19 | $152.6109 | $153.10 | 8.63M |
| Aug 25, 2026 | $151.00 | $156.9199 | $150.66 | $156.45 | 14.01M |
| Aug 24, 2026 | $150.72 | $151.52 | $149.14 | $150.66 | 15.03M |
| Aug 21, 2026 | $149.12 | $154.49 | $148.59 | $152.55 | 15.98M |
| Aug 20, 2026 | $150.78 | $152.515 | $148.516 | $148.99 | 16.2M |
| Aug 19, 2026 | $146.94 | $153.50 | $144.90 | $152.20 | 32.78M |
| Aug 18, 2026 | $137.24 | $137.98 | $134.88 | $135.17 | 10.28M |
| Aug 17, 2026 | $134.95 | $137.17 | $134.55 | $135.97 | 8.48M |
| Aug 14, 2026 | $134.43 | $135.97 | $133.40 | $135.84 | 6.87M |
| Aug 13, 2026 | $133.86 | $135.68 | $133.055 | $135.55 | 8.9M |
| Aug 12, 2026 | $130.25 | $134.06 | $128.91 | $132.92 | 10.45M |
| Aug 11, 2026 | $129.93 | $132.8399 | $129.70 | $130.42 | 6.34M |
| Aug 10, 2026 | $128.29 | $130.98 | $128.235 | $130.92 | 6.01M |
| Aug 7, 2026 | $127.84 | $128.75 | $126.68 | $128.58 | 7.35M |
| Aug 6, 2026 | $130.96 | $131.08 | $127.80 | $128.37 | 7.05M |
| Aug 5, 2026 | $129.41 | $131.09 | $127.555 | $128.33 | 10.5M |
| Aug 4, 2026 | $128.46 | $129.99 | $126.22 | $128.00 | 11.82M |
| Aug 3, 2026 | $129.87 | $131.47 | $126.72 | $127.77 | 11.15M |
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning MRK.
MRK research
Company profile and research snapshot.
Merck makes pharmaceutical products to treat several conditions in a number of therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and infections. Within cancer, the firm's immuno-oncology platform, led by Keytruda, is a major contributor to overall sales. The company also has a substantial vaccine business aimed at preventing pediatric diseases, as well as Gardasil for human papillomavirus. Additionally, Merck sells animal health-related drugs. From a geographical perspective, 47% of the company's sales are generated from US human health (pharmaceuticals and vaccines).
Visit company websiteConsensus and target data currently published for this company.
| Date | Firm | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2026 | Wolfe Research | Outperform | — |
| Aug 25, 2026 | Argus Research | Buy | — |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Goldman Sachs | Buy | — |
| Aug 20, 2026 | UBS | Buy | — |
| Aug 20, 2026 | BMO Capital | Outperform | — |
No generated briefing is available yet.
ChartMill · Aug 27, 2026
After the conclusion of the US market's regular session on Thursday, let's examine the after-hours session and unveil the notable S&P500 performers among the top gainers and losers.
ChartMill · Aug 27, 2026
After the closing bell on Thursday, let's take a glimpse of the US markets and explore the top gainers and losers in today's after-hours session.
Benzinga · Aug 27, 2026
This whale alert can help traders discover the next big trading opportunities. Whales are entities with large sums of money and we track their transactions here at Benzinga on our options activity scanner. Traders often
Benzinga · Aug 27, 2026
Moderna announces a $2 billion convertible senior note offering to fund its oncology business growth and strategically manage debt.
Interpretive context generated from the platform’s current data sources.
Merck & Co., Inc. shares closed at $148.26, reflecting a daily decline of 2.49% per SID market data. Despite the session's pullback, the stock has demonstrated strong momentum across multiple timeframes, gaining 14.3% over the past month and 24.96% over the trailing three months. On a one-year basis, MRK has appreciated 45.06%, significantly outperforming the broader healthcare sector. The stock currently trades well above both its 50-day moving average of $131.45 and its 200-day moving average of $120.03, according to SID market data, indicating a sustained uptrend. The 14-day relative strength index stands at 68.8, approaching overbought territory but not yet crossing the conventional 70 threshold. Merck's beta of 0.299 underscores its low-volatility profile relative to the broader market. Average daily trading volume registers at approximately 13.4 million shares, supporting adequate liquidity for institutional participants.
Merck & Co., Inc. carries a market capitalization of approximately $248.8 billion and trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99, according to SID market data. This multiple sits below the broader healthcare sector average, suggesting the stock is relatively attractively priced on a trailing earnings basis. The PEG ratio of 0.79 further indicates that the market may be undervaluing Merck's expected earnings growth, as readings below 1.0 generally signal favorable growth-adjusted valuations per conventional financial analysis frameworks. The company's price-to-book ratio stands at 4.77, reflecting the premium typically assigned to large-cap pharmaceutical firms with significant intangible asset bases, per SEC filings. Merck also offers a dividend yield of 3.27%, providing meaningful income to shareholders. Taken together, these valuation metrics position Merck as a large-cap healthcare name exhibiting below-market earnings multiples paired with an above-average dividend yield relative to sector peers.
Merck & Co., Inc. registers a composite smart money score of 59 out of 100, reflecting a neutral overall signal per SID market data. Institutional ownership sentiment scores a perfect 25 out of 25, indicating robust confidence among large asset managers and fund complexes. In contrast, the insider trading component scores just 9.8 out of 25, weighed down by a notable imbalance in recent insider activity. Per SEC Form 4 filings, there have been 20 insider transactions over the past 90 days, comprising 4 purchases and 16 sales, reflecting a sell-to-buy ratio of 4-to-1. Dark pool activity scores 12.0 out of 25, suggesting moderate but unremarkable off-exchange institutional positioning. Congressional trading activity registers at 12 out of 25, per 13F institutional filings and congressional disclosure records. The divergence between strong institutional conviction and elevated insider selling creates a mixed smart money picture, with no clear directional consensus emerging from aggregated non-public market participant behavior.
Merck & Co., Inc. has reported mixed recent quarterly results, per company earnings reports. In the most recently completed quarter reported on April 30, 2026, Merck posted a loss of $1.28 per share, which nonetheless exceeded the consensus analyst estimate of a $1.48 loss by $0.20, delivering a positive earnings surprise. The prior completed quarter, reported on August 4, represented a miss, with actual EPS of negative $0.13 falling short of the $0.23 estimate by $0.36. Looking ahead, analysts project a loss of $1.01 per share for the quarter with results expected April 23, and a loss of $0.30 per share for the period with results due July 28, according to analyst estimates. The negative EPS figures across multiple quarters reflect significant non-recurring charges or acquisition-related expenses rather than core operational weakness. Investors are closely monitoring sequential improvement trends as the company works toward returning to profitability on a GAAP basis.
Wall Street consensus on Merck & Co., Inc. remains decisively bullish, with all recent analyst actions reaffirming positive ratings per SID consensus data. On August 25, 2026, Wolfe Research maintained its Outperform rating, while Argus Research reiterated a Buy rating on the same date. Earlier that week, Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its Buy rating on August 21, and both UBS and BMO Capital maintained Buy and Outperform ratings respectively on August 20, according to Wall Street analyst reports. Notably, none of the five most recent analyst actions involved a downgrade or initiation at a neutral or negative rating, underscoring uniform institutional confidence. The absence of any rating changes — all five were reiterations of prior positive stances — suggests that the recent 45.06% one-year price appreciation has not prompted concerns about overvaluation among major sell-side firms. This consensus alignment across multiple bulge-bracket and independent research houses provides a supportive backdrop for Merck's equity positioning.
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning MRK.
