Caroline Litchfield, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK), sold 41,997 shares of Merck common stock on February 4, 2026, for a total of approximately $5.02 million. The disposals were executed at sale prices ranging from $119.54 to $119.78 per share.
The stock sale followed an exercise of options covering the same 41,997 shares. Those options were exercised at an aggregate exercise price of $53.06 per share, representing a total cash outlay for the exercise of $2.23 million.
Separately, Merck published its first revenue outlook for 2026, projecting total revenue between $65.5 billion and $67.0 billion. That guidance implies growth of 1-3% compared to 2025 and aligns with Morgan Stanley’s newly stated estimate of $66.3 billion for 2026.
Analysts responded to Merck’s guidance with a range of reactions and adjustments to price targets:
- Guggenheim noted that Merck’s 2026 revenue guidance came in below consensus expectations but nonetheless raised its price target to $140 and kept a Buy rating.
- BMO Capital increased its price target to $135, citing potential extensions to Keytruda patents as an important consideration.
- Wells Fargo also lifted its price target to $135, stating that the comparatively weak 2026 guidance reflected the impact of products losing exclusivity.
- Bernstein raised its target to $100 while maintaining a Market Perform rating, pointing to optimism about Merck’s pipeline and upcoming product launches.
- Morgan Stanley adjusted its price target to $109, reflecting a positive view on the company’s growth prospects.
Taken together, the insider transaction and the analyst updates underscore a mixed market reception to Merck’s early 2026 guidance. The firm’s guidance and ensuing commentary from a variety of brokerages capture both the headwinds noted by some analysts and the potential upside highlighted by others.
The sale by the CFO, executed soon after an option exercise, is recorded alongside these market signals but the public information does not link the transaction to any changes in company policy or operations beyond what Merck has already disclosed in its guidance and analysts’ commentary.
Clear summary: Merck CFO Caroline Litchfield sold 41,997 shares on February 4, 2026, for about $5.02 million after exercising options for the same number of shares at $53.06 each. Merck provided 2026 revenue guidance of $65.5 billion to $67.0 billion, prompting a series of analyst price-target adjustments reflecting differing interpretations of the company’s near-term challenges and future opportunities.