Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) has a price-to-earnings ratio of 951.13x that is above its average ratio. Additionally, the 36-month beta value for MRK is 0.41. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 7 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 4 rating it as “overweight,” 10 rating it as “hold,” and 0 rating it as “sell.”
The public float for MRK is 2.53B and currently, short sellers hold a 0.77% ratio of that float. The average trading volume of MRK on April 15, 2024 was 8.41M shares.
MRK) stock’s latest price update
Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK)’s stock price has decreased by -0.33 compared to its previous closing price of 126.15. However, the company has seen a -1.76% decrease in its stock price over the last five trading sessions. Proactive Investors reported 2024-04-12 that Expectations for US biopharma companies’ first quarter earnings are low given the typical seasonality across the sector and new healthcare plan signups, analysts at the Bank of America believe. “We don’t expect many guidance changes; a stable earnings season should warrant continued generalist interest in biopharma,” the analysts wrote in a note.
MRK’s Market Performance
Merck & Co Inc (MRK) has experienced a -1.76% fall in stock performance for the past week, with a 2.93% rise in the past month, and a 6.17% rise in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 1.46%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 1.58% for MRK. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -0.39% for MRK’s stock, with a 11.99% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of MRK
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for MRK stocks, with Societe Generale repeating the rating for MRK by listing it as a “Sell.” The predicted price for MRK in the upcoming period, according to Societe Generale is $104 based on the research report published on March 11, 2024 of the current year 2024.
TD Cowen, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see MRK reach a price target of $135, previously predicting the price at $125. The rating they have provided for MRK stocks is “Outperform” according to the report published on January 04th, 2024.
Deutsche Bank gave a rating of “Buy” to MRK, setting the target price at $115 in the report published on November 09th of the previous year.
MRK Trading at -0.23% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought MRK to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -5.53% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 1.58%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 1.46%, as shares surge +4.34% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading +4.11% upper at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, MRK fell by -1.76%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by +10.96% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $126.49. In addition, Merck & Co Inc saw 15.34% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further gains.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at MRK starting from Merck & Co., Inc., who purchase 21,397,205 shares at the price of $23.00 back on Mar 11 ’24. After this action, Merck & Co., Inc. now owns 1,000 shares of Merck & Co Inc, valued at $492,135,715 using the latest closing price.
Davis Robert M, the Chairman, CEO & President of Merck & Co Inc, sale 85,021 shares at $125.40 during a trade that took place back on Feb 14 ’24, which means that Davis Robert M is holding 348,327 shares at $10,661,574 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for MRK
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.06 for the present operating margin
- 0.74 for the gross margin
The net margin for Merck & Co Inc stands at 0.01. The total capital return value is set at 0.05. Equity return is now at value 0.87, with 0.34 for asset returns.
Based on Merck & Co Inc (MRK), the company’s capital structure generated 0.48 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.37. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.94. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 3.25.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 6.85 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 5.16. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 5.79. The receivables turnover for the company is 5.43for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.56. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 1.25.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Merck & Co Inc (MRK) has seen better performance in recent times. Analysts have a bullish opinion on the stock, with some rating it as a “buy” and others rating it as a “hold”. It is worth mentioning that the stock is currently trading in close proximity to its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
