Richard R. DeLuca, who serves as Executive Vice President and President of Merck Animal Health, executed a sale of 37,685 shares of Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) common stock on February 6, 2026, according to a Form 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The disposal was completed at a weighted average price of $120.9241 per share, resulting in total gross proceeds of $4,557,024. The prices realized on individual shares in the transaction ranged from $120.7350 up to $121.3054. After the trade was recorded, DeLuca retained direct ownership of 160,173.834 shares of Merck common stock.
Alongside the reported insider sale, multiple sell-side analyst teams updated their views and targets for Merck, with changes reflecting divergent assessments of the firm’s near-term guidance and pipeline prospects.
- Guggenheim maintained a Buy rating and raised its price target to $140, while noting Merck’s 2026 revenue guidance remained below consensus estimates.
- Bernstein raised its price target to $100, citing investor optimism about Merck’s pipeline and incoming product launches, and described the company’s outlook as a "soft-guide."
- BMO Capital lifted its price target to $135, highlighting the potential for Keytruda’s patent protection to be extended beyond its current expiry.
- Wells Fargo set its price target at $135 and kept an Overweight rating, even as it flagged that loss of exclusivity for some products could affect 2026 guidance.
- Morgan Stanley adjusted its price target to $109 and aligned that view with Merck’s first-time 2026 revenue guidance of $65.5 billion to $67.0 billion, which Merck said would represent growth of 1-3% versus 2025.
These analyst target changes illustrate a range of perspectives on the company’s near-term revenue trajectory and its longer-term product outlook based on the information Merck provided in its guidance.
Summary of transaction details:
- Insider: Richard R. DeLuca, Executive Vice President and President, Merck Animal Health
- Date of sale: February 6, 2026
- Shares sold: 37,685
- Weighted average price: $120.9241
- Price range: $120.7350 - $121.3054
- Total value: $4,557,024
- Shares owned after sale: 160,173.834 (direct ownership)
Where the public record is limited to the transaction filing and the analyst commentary above, no additional motivations or intentions for the sale have been disclosed in the filings cited.