Merck & Co. will acquire oncology specialist ArQule in a $2.7 billion deal.
Merck said it will pay $20 for each ArQule share, which would be a premium of more than 100% to the stock's closing price of $9.66 Friday on the Nasdaq.
ArQule specializes in research and development of targeted therapeutics for treatment of cancers and rare diseases. It will be merged into the broader Merck & Co.
The deal is expected to close early in the first quarter of 2020. The merger would allow Merck access to ArQule’s experimental treatment ARQ 531, a precision medicine that customizes treatment to a patient’s genetic profile.
Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.
On August 10, 2026, the Stochastic Oscillator for MRK moved out of oversold territory and this could be a bullish sign for the stock. Traders may want to buy the stock or buy call options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 53 instances where the indicator left the oversold zone. In of the 53 cases the stock moved higher in the following days. This puts the odds of a move higher at over .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where MRK advanced for three days, in of 340 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 252 cases where MRK Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on August 11, 2026. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on MRK as a result. In of 83 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for MRK turned negative on August 03, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 50 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 50 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where MRK declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to outstanding earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating outstanding price growth. MRK’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (7.675) is normal, around the industry mean (19.737). MRK's P/E Ratio (104.336) is considerably higher than the industry average of (31.297). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (12.480) is also within normal values, averaging (11.505). Dividend Yield (0.026) settles around the average of (0.030) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (4.861) is also within normal values, averaging (4.098).
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating well-balanced risk and returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 64, placing this stock slightly better than average.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows
a developer of human and animal health products
Industry PharmaceuticalsMajor