<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low on Saturday . The company traded as low as $75.82 and last traded at $75.88, with a volume of 15605903 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.65.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>Moderna: 4 Key Reasons the CEO Just Bought $5M in Shares</li></ul><p>Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating and lowered their price target for the company from $128.00 to $105.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. TD Securities lowered shares of Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $118.00 to $112.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Leerink Partners dropped their target price on Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from $136.00 to $119.00 and set an &#34;outperform&#34; rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Merck &amp; Co., Inc. from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued  a buy rating and three have assigned  a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $111.13.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Analysis on MRK</b></p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Price Performance</h2><ul><li>Institutional Investors Bet $1B on These 4 Stocks—Should You?</li></ul><p>The stock's 50-day moving average price is $85.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.31. The company has a market capitalization of $190.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. </p><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.59 billion. Merck &amp; Co., Inc. had a net margin of 26.67% and a return on equity of 45.35%. Merck &amp; Co., Inc.'s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.07 EPS.  Equities research analysts anticipate that  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year. </p><ul><li>These S&amp;P 500 Stocks Have Low P/E Ratios — Time to Buy?</li></ul><p>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $10.00 billion in  outstanding  shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 4.1% of its stock  through open market purchases. Stock  repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><p>In other news, SVP Dalton E. Smart III sold 4,262 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.76, for a total value of $352,723.12. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $643,707.28. This trade represents a 35.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own  0.13% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Hedge Funds Weigh In On Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</h2><p>Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Midwest Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth $26,000.  Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the first quarter worth about $27,000.  Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000.  Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000.  Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of  Merck &amp; Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 76.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>Merck &amp; Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Merck &amp; Co., Inc.</li><li>When to Sell a Stock for Profit or Loss</li><li>Google Is Betting Big on Nuclear Reactors—Should You?</li><li>REIT Stocks - Best REIT Stocks to Add to Your Portfolio Today</li><li>Taiwan Semiconductor Has a New Reason to Rally on Chip Curbs</li><li>3 Fintech Stocks With Good 2021 Prospects</li><li>Why Nearly 20 Analysts Raised Meta Price Targets Post-Earnings</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Merck &amp; Co., Inc. Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Merck &amp; Co., Inc., you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Merck &amp; Co., Inc. wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Merck &amp; Co., Inc. currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) shares hit a new 52-week low at $75.82, closing at $75.88 with a trading volume of over 15 million shares. Analysts have downgraded the stock, with Deutsche Bank lowering its rating from "buy" to "hold" and reducing the price target from $128 to $105. The company reported $2.22 EPS, exceeding estimates, but revenue fell 1.6% year-over-year. Merck has initiated a $10 billion stock repurchase plan, indicating management believes shares are undervalued. Insider selling and new institutional investments were also noted.</p>

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Sets New 1-Year Low - Here's Why