Prospera Financial Services Inc Grows Stock Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 110,526 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,096 shares during the period. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $9,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.5% in the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,021,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. OPTIMAS CAPITAL Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $10,265,000. Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV increased its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV now owns 30,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,576,000 after purchasing an additional 1,329 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, D.B. Root & Company LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 8.0% during the third quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 3,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. 76.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $82.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $120.93.

Merck & Co., Inc. Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $117.12 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $122.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $290.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $107.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.75.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 45.22% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.19 billion. Merck & Co., Inc.’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.72 EPS. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.92, for a total value of $4,556,870.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,174 shares in the company, valued at $19,368,240.08. This represents a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.88, for a total transaction of $2,437,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 80,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,825,356.20. This represents a 19.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Merck & Co., Inc.

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~14.6% in January to ~28.7M shares (?1.2% of float), lowering short?pressure and reducing the odds of a short?squeeze?driven reversal. (Data: Jan. 30 short interest)
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish research argues Merck’s recent rally isn’t excess — analysts highlight extended Keytruda exclusivity, QLEX migration and pipeline/BD upside as durable revenue drivers. This supports longer?term upside expectations. Merck: A Buy For 2026, But The Clock Is Still Ticking
• Positive Sentiment: Merck entered a strategic collaboration with Calla Lily Clinical Care to advance an intravaginal drug?delivery platform (Callavid®), expanding non?oncology device/partnered opportunities that could augment future topline or BD interest. Calla Lily Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck reaffirmed solid fundamentals: recent quarter beat estimates, announced a $0.85 quarterly dividend (ex?dividend March 16) and provided FY?2026 EPS guidance. These support income/long?term holders but may be largely priced in near term.
• Negative Sentiment: Large, high?visibility insider sale: EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares (~$14.5M) at ?$119.15 and materially reduced her stake — a prominent executive sale that can spook short?term traders. Form 4 — Jennifer Zachary
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider sales: CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares (~$1.18M) and other senior executives (including the CFO and another EVP) disclosed multi?million dollar sales, amplifying negative sentiment from leadership selling. Form 4 — Chirfi Guindo CFO Sale Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary and at least one downgrade flag a near?term balancing act — caution about valuation after a strong run and nearer?term catalysts keeps trading volatility elevated. Balancing Act Article

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.

Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.