Resilient Merck stock holds near $133 after Daiwa upgrade and mixed Q2 2026 earnings

Merck & Co., Inc. (ISIN US58933Y1055) stock is trading close to $133 per share as of August 12, 2026, following a mix of upbeat revenue trends and profit pressure in its latest quarterly report and a fresh analyst upgrade that set a $143 price target.

Analyst upgrade adds support

According to a MarketBeat analyst alert dated August 12, 2026, Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Merck to an outperform rating from neutral and set a $143 price target, implying roughly 9.7 percent upside from a referenced share price of $130.35.

The same overview notes that based on aggregated analyst data, Merck currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus rating, with an average target around $135.50, positioning the stock slightly below the consensus fair value despite the recent rally.

Per MarketBeat data on trading, Merck shares closed at $133.10 on August 12, 2026, up $2.68 or about 2.05 percent on the session, with nearly 9.9 million shares changing hands versus an average volume of about 10.7 million.

Q2 2026 results show revenue growth but EPS pressure

A detailed recap of Merck's Q2 calendar 2026 earnings call published by Yahoo Finance on August 12, 2026 reports that second-quarter 2026 revenue reached $16.61 billion, ahead of analyst estimates of $16.27 billion and representing 5.1 percent year-over-year growth.

Adjusted EPS for Q2 2026 came in at -$0.13 versus expectations of -$0.26, meaning Merck beat consensus by $0.13 per share even though earnings were negative due to significant charges, and the EPS surprise was about a 49.5 percent improvement compared with estimates.

The same earnings summary explains that operating margin in Q2 2026 was -3.5 percent, sharply lower than the 31.6 percent margin in the same quarter a year earlier, highlighting how one-off items and investments weighed heavily on profitability despite the revenue increase.

In its outlook, Merck modestly raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance midpoint to $66.8 billion from a prior $66.4 billion, while at the same time lowering full-year adjusted EPS guidance midpoint to $2.71, showing management expects stronger top-line momentum but more constrained earnings.

Further detail from the MarketBeat upgrade note confirms that Merck's fiscal 2026 EPS guidance range now stands at $2.66 to $2.76 per share, with sell-side forecasts clustering at the top end of that range around $2.76, underlining that analysts still expect positive full-year earnings despite the negative quarterly EPS figure.

Keytruda and vaccines remain growth drivers

While the latest sources focus mainly on headline numbers rather than product detail, Merck's flagship cancer immunotherapy Keytruda remains central to the earnings story, with recent commentary indicating that oncology and vaccines continue to anchor revenue growth even as patent expiry concerns loom in the early 2030s.

Recent coverage also notes that Merck is one of only two pharmaceutical companies providing the MMR combination vaccine in the United States, underscoring its entrenched position in pediatric immunization alongside GlaxoSmithKline and its long record of safety and efficacy data cited by public health experts and the company itself.

Merck stock on the NYSE

Merck & Co., Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker MRK, and recent quote snapshots from market-data portals such as TradingKey show an intraday price around $133.09 USD, very close to the $133.10 closing level reported for August 12, 2026.

With the stock near this level, the Daiwa price target of $143 suggests potential upside of roughly $9.9 per share compared with the latest close, while the broader consensus target of about $135.50 implies more modest appreciation that would take Merck shares slightly above the current trading band if delivered.