NEW YORK (dpa-AFX Broker) - Goldman Sachs has lowered its price target for Merck KGaA from 153 to 147 euros, while maintaining a "Buy" rating. Analyst James Quigley anticipates a sluggish start to the year for the Darmstadt-based group, according to his preview of the quarterly report due in mid-May, published Wednesday evening. However, investor focus is expected to shift toward the strategy of the new CEO, who is set to take the helm on May 1./ag/gl
Original study publication: 15.04.2026 / 22:27 / BST First dissemination of original study: Date not specified in study / Time not specified in study / Time zone not specified in study
Merck KGaA is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical and chemical groups. Net sales break down by family of products as follows:
- solutions and products for scientific and biotechnological research (42.6%);
- pharmaceutical products (40.8%): prescription drugs for the treatment of diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, infertility, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system disorders, inflammatory disorders, etc.;
- performance materials for the electronics industry (16.6%): semiconductor materials, liquid crystals, pigments and additives, carbon-based organic materials, etc.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Germany (4.8%), Switzerland (1.9%), Europe (23.7%), the United States (24.8%), North America (1.3%), China (13.7%), Asia/Pacific (19.2%), Latin America (6.9%), Middle East and Africa (3.7%).
This super rating is the result of a weighted average of the rankings based on the following ratings: Valuation (Composite), EPS Revisions (4 months), and Visibility (Composite). We recommend that you carefully review the associated descriptions.
Investor
Investor
This super composite rating is the result of a weighted average of the rankings based on the following ratings: Fundamentals (Composite), Valuation (Composite), EPS Revisions (1 year), and Visibility (Composite). We recommend that you carefully review the associated descriptions.
Global
Global
This composite rating is the result of an average of the rankings based on the following ratings: Fundamentals (Composite), Valuation (Composite), Financial Estimates Revisions (Composite), Consensus (Composite) and Visibility (Composite). The company must be covered by at least 4 of these 5 ratings for the calculation to be carried out. We recommend that you carefully review the associated descriptions.
Quality
Quality
This composite rating is the result of an average of rankings based on the following ratings: Returns (Composite), Profitability (Composite) and Quality of Financial Reporting (Composite), and Financial Health (Composite). The company must be covered by at least 2 of these 3 ratings for the calculation to be performed. We recommend that you carefully read the associated descriptions.
ESG MSCI
ESG MSCI
The MSCI ESG score assesses a company’s environmental, social, and governance practices relative to its industry peers. Companies are rated from CCC (laggard) to AAA (leader). This rating helps investors incorporate sustainability risks and opportunities into their investment decisions.