Merck & Co. stock: Goldman Sachs cuts target for Merck & Co. stock to USD 155.00

Published on 10/20/2026 at 15:47 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Q2 sales reached USD 16.60 billion, up 1.84 percent from Q1. Merck & Co. stock costs EUR 132.16 on October 20, 2026 at Lang & Schwarz.

Analyst target and quarterly sales

Goldman Sachs cut its Merck target from USD 160.00 to USD 155.00 on October 16, 2026.
Second-quarter sales reached USD 16.60 billion, versus USD 16.30 billion in the first quarter.
Merck & Co. stock costs EUR 132.16 at Lang & Schwarz on October 20, 2026 at 3:36 p.m. CEST.

Photorealistic wide-angle view of a modern oncology research laboratory. A scientist in white lab coat examines cancer cell slides under a fluorescence microscope. Amber glass vials with pharmaceutical compounds line the stainless steel bench. Biosafety c — Merck US58933Y1055 Onkologie-Labor: Wissenschaftler am Mikroskop analysiert Krebszellen, mehrere Wirkstoff-Vials stehen auf der Werkbank, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Goldman Sachs cut its Merck & Co. price target from USD 160.00 to USD 155.00 in a note dated October 16, 2026, while the firm retained its rating, according to MarketScreener. Merck & Co. stock was trading at EUR 132.16 at Lang & Schwarz on October 20, 2026 at 3:36 p.m. CEST.

Goldman Sachs trims its target

The USD 5.00 reduction leaves the Goldman Sachs target 3.13 percent below its former level. The change came ahead of Merck's third-quarter reporting period, when investors will assess the outlook for its pharmaceutical portfolio and newer product launches.

Another recent analyst action points in a different direction. RBC Capital lowered its target from USD 150.00 to USD 145.00 on October 12, 2026, citing more modest expected growth in 2027 and elevated investment, as reported by Markets Insider.

Quarterly sales provide the counterpoint

Merck reported worldwide sales of USD 16.60 billion for the second quarter of 2026, compared with USD 16.30 billion in the first quarter. That represents a quarter-on-quarter increase of 1.84 percent. The figures are listed in the company's investor-relations materials, which also identify the company's primary listing as NYSE: MRK.

The second-quarter result included continued contributions from oncology, vaccines and animal health. Merck's investor-relations page also records the company's full-year 2025 sales at USD 65.00 billion, providing a broader historical comparison for the 2026 quarterly figures. The Q2 financial materials were published on August 4, 2026, according to Merck.

What the valuation discussion adds

The primary-market quote was USD 148.84 on the NYSE at 9:47 a.m. ET on October 20, 2026. The same market view placed Merck's market capitalization at USD 367.2 billion, its price-to-earnings ratio at 119.17 and its 52-week range at USD 82.01 to USD 156.92. The euro quotation and the primary-market figures are separate views of the same company.

Stock position and next date

Merck's next investor date listed by MarketScreener is the third-quarter earnings release on October 28, 2026. The date gives the analyst revisions a near-term test, while the second-quarter sales comparison supplies the latest reported operating benchmark.

For investors, the central tension is numerical: quarterly sales increased from USD 16.30 billion to USD 16.60 billion, while two major research updates placed targets at USD 145.00 and USD 155.00.

The euro quotation stood at EUR 132.16 at Lang & Schwarz on October 20, 2026 at 3:36 p.m. CEST.

The further course of trading is shown by the continuously updated real-time quote of Merck & Co. stock.