MRK · Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co Inc MRK

Discovers, develops, and sells prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products.

Daily briefAugust 19, 2026

Merck jumps as melanoma vaccine data brightens post-Keytruda outlook

+12.60% to $152.20 from $135.17

Merck shares rose about 12-13% and were among the biggest gainers in both the Dow and the S&P 500 after the companies announced the Phase 3 melanoma trial success.
The rally added roughly $44 billion to Merck’s market value in a single session.
Analysts flagged the readout’s strategic significance for extending Keytruda’s commercial life as the drug faces looming patent exposure, since Merck and Moderna are testing the same vaccine platform across other tumor types.
A commercial launch of the vaccine could come as soon as 2027, though pricing has not yet been set.

Sources: 24/7 Wall St. · ts2.tech · BioSpace

Daily briefAugust 4, 2026

+0.18% to $128.00 from $127.77

Q2 revenue was $16.61 billion, up 5% year over year and above the $16.36 billion analyst estimate.
Keytruda sales rose 5% to $8.37 billion, including $463 million from the newer subcutaneous formulation Keytruda QLEX.
Merck raised its 2026 revenue forecast to $66.3-$67.3 billion from a prior $65.8-$67.0 billion range.
The company cut its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.66-$2.76 from $5.04-$5.16 to reflect charges tied to its Cidara and Terns acquisitions.
Shares rose about 0.6% in early trading.

Sources: BNN Bloomberg · The Globe and Mail