Court Approves Merck's Acquisition of Verona Pharma
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Oct 06 2025
0mins
Source: SeekingAlpha
Merck's Acquisition Approval: Merck's $10 billion acquisition of Verona Pharma has been approved by the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, with the deal set to close on October 7.
Shareholder Details: Under the acquisition terms, Merck will pay $107 per American Depository Share, equivalent to eight ordinary shares of Verona, which will cease trading after market close on Monday.
Analyst Views on MRK
Wall Street analysts forecast MRK stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MRK is 104.40 USD with a low forecast of 82.00 USD and a high forecast of 139.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
14 Analyst Rating
6 Buy
8 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 110.970
Low
82.00
Averages
104.40
High
139.00
Current: 110.970
Low
82.00
Averages
104.40
High
139.00
About MRK
Merck & Co., Inc. is a global health care company that delivers health solutions through its prescription medicines, including biologic therapies, vaccines and animal health products. Its Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products. The Company sells its human health pharmaceutical products primarily to drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies and managed health care providers. It sells these human health vaccines primarily to physicians, wholesalers, distributors and government entities. Its Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a range of veterinary pharmaceutical and vaccine products, as well as health management solutions and services, for the prevention, treatment and control of disease in all livestock and companion animal species. Its products include KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) injection, for intravenous use; WELIREG (belzutifan) tablets, for oral use; Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) and others.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.





