The stock price of Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) has dropped by -2.16 compared to previous close of 77.65. Despite this, the company has seen a fall of -8.67% in its stock price over the last five trading days. youtube.com reported 2025-05-08 that Jared Holz, Mizuho, joins ‘Fast Money’ to talk headwinds to the pharma sector.
Is It Worth Investing in Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) Right Now?
The price-to-earnings ratio for Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) is above average at 11.06x. The 36-month beta value for MRK is also noteworthy at 0.44. There are mixed opinions on the stock, with 12 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 4 rating it as “overweight,” 11 rating it as “hold,” and 0 rating it as “sell.”
The public float for MRK is 2.51B, and at present, short sellers hold a 1.48% of that float. The average trading volume of MRK on May 12, 2025 was 17.23M shares.
MRK’s Market Performance
The stock of Merck & Co Inc (MRK) has seen a -8.67% decrease in the past week, with a -7.25% drop in the past month, and a -12.96% fall in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 2.95%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 3.14% for MRK.. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -5.24% for MRK’s stock, with a -24.20% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of MRK
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for MRK stocks, with Cantor Fitzgerald repeating the rating for MRK by listing it as a “Neutral.” The predicted price for MRK in the upcoming period, according to Cantor Fitzgerald is $85 based on the research report published on April 22, 2025 of the current year 2025.
Deutsche Bank, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see MRK reach a price target of $105, previously predicting the price at $128. The rating they have provided for MRK stocks is “Hold” according to the report published on February 18th, 2025.
TD Cowen gave a rating of “Hold” to MRK, setting the target price at $100 in the report published on February 10th of the current year.
MRK Trading at -11.73% 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 -43.57% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 3.14%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 2.95%, as shares sank -2.04% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -16.13% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, MRK fell by -8.67%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -38.92% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $80.18. In addition, Merck & Co Inc saw -23.63% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at MRK starting from Smart Dalton E. III, who sale 4,262 shares at the price of $82.76 back on Apr 25 ’25. After this action, Smart Dalton E. III now owns 7,778 shares of Merck & Co Inc, valued at $352,723 using the latest closing price.
DALTON SMART, the Officer of Merck & Co Inc, proposed sale 4,262 shares at $82.76 during a trade that took place back on Apr 25 ’25, which means that DALTON SMART is holding shares at $352,723 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for MRK
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.36 for the present operating margin
- 0.81 for the gross margin
The net margin for Merck & Co Inc stands at 0.27. The total capital return value is set at 0.25. Equity return is now at value 39.31, with 15.78 for asset returns.
Based on Merck & Co Inc (MRK), the company’s capital structure generated 0.42 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.6. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.72. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is -75.48.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 26.94 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 0.96. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 3.39. The receivables turnover for the company is 5.92for 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 1.41.
Conclusion
In summary, Merck & Co Inc (MRK) has had a bad performance as of late. Analysts have bullish opinions on the stock, with some viewing it as a “buy” and others as a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
