Merck & Company, Inc.

• MRK Stock Price 24h change: +1.52%. From 109.45 USD to 111.11 USD. The price surged following a price target upgrade by TD Cowen (from $100 to $120) and positive analyst sentiment ahead of the February 3 earnings report.
• Technical analysis indicates a "Strong Buy" posture. The 50-day moving average ($109.59) and 200-day moving average ($105.29) both signal bullish momentum, while the RSI sits at a healthy 57.8, suggesting the stock is gaining strength without being overbought. Key resistance is identified near $112.90.
• Merck announced a massive $70 billion investment plan to expand U.S. manufacturing and research, including a $3 billion facility in Virginia to mitigate supply chain risks and strengthen domestic production.
• CEO Robert Davis detailed a "derisking" strategy at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, highlighting 20 potential launches and 80 late-stage readouts to offset the upcoming 2028 Keytruda patent cliff.
• Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC significantly increased its stake in MRK by 34.3% in the latest quarter, joining a broader trend of institutional accumulation that now accounts for 76% of total ownership.
• Johnson & Johnson (J&J) forecasted record-breaking 2026 sales exceeding $100 billion, marking a historic milestone for the pharmaceutical sector and signaling strong demand for innovative medicines.
• The European Parliament fast-tracked measures to boost pharmaceutical competitiveness and address medicine shortages, supporting new strategic manufacturing projects to reduce dependency on non-EU imports.

• MRK Stock Price 24h change: +0.57%. From 108.83 USD to 109.45 USD. The gain was driven by positive clinical data for its cancer therapy combination and a series of price target hikes from major investment banks like TD Cowen and Leerink Partners.
• Technical Perspective: The stock exhibits a "bullish momentum with consolidation near resistance." MRK is trading above its 50-day ($102.92) and 200-day ($90.54) moving averages, forming a "golden cross." Key resistance is at the 52-week high of $112.90, while the RSI of 68.2 suggests neutral-to-bullish conditions as it nears overbought territory.
• Merck and Moderna announced 5-year Phase 2b data showing a 49% reduction in the risk of melanoma recurrence or death when combining Keytruda with an mRNA therapy, a significant clinical win.
• Reports indicate Merck is in early-stage talks to acquire cancer drug developer Revolution Medicines for an estimated $28 billion to $32 billion to bolster its post-Keytruda pipeline.
• Merck joined the "Billion Cell Atlas" initiative alongside Illumina and Eli Lilly, leveraging large-scale AI and genomics datasets to accelerate drug discovery and precision medicine targets.
• Major pharmaceutical firms, including Pfizer and J&J, announced list price increases for over 800 medications in early 2026, despite ongoing pressure from the U.S. administration to lower healthcare costs.
• The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a "skinny label" patent case between Amarin and Hikma, a decision that could set a major precedent for how generic drug manufacturers enter the market.