Barclays raises target for Merck & Co. stock from USD 150.00 to USD 180.00

Published on 10/27/2026 at 12:07 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Q2 revenue hit USD 16.61 billion, up 5.10 percent year over year. Merck & Co. stock costs EUR 126.26 on October 27, 2026, below the EUR 126.36 Xetra close.

Clinical pipeline and reporting dates

Merck raised its target to USD 180.00 on October 26, 2026.
Second-quarter revenue reached USD 16.61 billion, up 5.10 percent year over year.
Merck & Co. stock trades at EUR 126.26 at 12:02 p.m. CET at Lang & Schwarz on October 27, 2026, 0.08 percent below the Xetra close of October 26, 2026.
Merck is scheduled to report third-quarter results on October 29, 2026, with an FDA decision expected by June 2027.

Merck & Co., US58933Y1055, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Merck & Co. (ISIN US58933Y1055) is trading at EUR 126.26 at Lang & Schwarz on October 27, 2026, 0.08 percent below the Xetra close of October 26, 2026. Barclays raised its price target from USD 150.00 to USD 180.00 and kept an Overweight rating on October 26, 2026, according to Benzinga.

Barclays lifts the target

The target increase came as Merck presented oncology data at its ESMO 2026 investor event. Merck said on October 26, 2026, that sacituzumab tirumotecan reduced the risk of death by 32 percent and the risk of disease progression or death by 41 percent against chemotherapy in certain patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, according to the company investor-relations page.

The same event included KEYTRUDA monotherapy data showing a 43 percent reduction in the risk of disease progression or death for a specified group of patients with mismatch repair-deficient endometrial cancer. Those figures give the target increase a concrete pipeline backdrop, although the market still has to weigh future product launches against KEYTRUDA's patent expiration in December 2028.

What does the target change mean?

Merck's second-quarter 2026 revenue was USD 16.61 billion, up 5.10 percent from the comparable period, while adjusted guidance for fiscal year 2026 stood at USD 2.66 to USD 2.76 earnings per share, according to MarketBeat. The quarter included a USD 0.13 loss per share against a USD 0.26 expected loss.

Three recent signals for Merck

On August 4, 2026, Merck reported USD 16.61 billion in second-quarter revenue. On October 22, 2026, Merck and Moderna reported that their personalized melanoma vaccine reduced recurrence or death by 42 percent when added to KEYTRUDA. On October 26, 2026, Barclays lifted its target from USD 150.00 to USD 180.00, as documented by Benzinga.

Upcoming dates for Merck

Merck is scheduled to report third-quarter 2026 results on October 29, 2026, before the US market opens, with a conference call scheduled for 9:00 a.m. ET, according to Benzinga. The company expects an FDA decision on sacituzumab tirumotecan by June 2027.

Stock trades below the prior close

At EUR 126.26, the euro quotation is EUR 0.10 below the EUR 126.36 Xetra close of October 26, 2026. The primary listing is on the NYSE, where Merck trades under MRK and the company identifies itself as a healthcare and drug-manufacturing group. The further course of trading is shown by the continuously updated real-time quote of Merck & Co. stock.