M. Kulyk & Associates LLC Acquires 6,295 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

M. Kulyk & Associates LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 7.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 96,539 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,295 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises 1.6% of M. Kulyk & Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $8,103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the 3rd quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Kilter Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter valued at $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% in the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Positive Phase?3 data for ENFLONSIA (RSV) expand the drug’s market potential — results showed protection in high?risk infants into a second RSV season, which could meaningfully lift long?term revenue beyond current approvals. Merck RSV And KEYTRUDA Updates Refocus Attention On Valuation And Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory wins for Keytruda — new subcutaneous formulation and additional indications — improve maintainability of the franchise and could blunt some revenue erosion when competition arrives. Merck RSV And KEYTRUDA Updates Refocus Attention On Valuation And Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst interest and constructive ratings (average “Moderate Buy”; new coverage from Barclays) support the equity case and provide a baseline of sell?side support as Merck executes the transition. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck confirmed an operational split of Human Health into two divisions — a standalone cancer (oncology) business and a separate non?cancer products unit — intended to sharpen launches and portfolio execution. This is an organizational/strategy move rather than an immediate financial shock. Merck Evolves Human Health Operating Structure to Support Portfolio Execution
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction so far has been muted — some outlets report investors “shrugged” at the reorganization, suggesting the move was largely expected and already partially priced in. Merck reportedly ready to the splits as Keytruda patent cliff looms. Market shrugs
• Negative Sentiment: The core risk remains Keytruda’s loss of exclusivity (patent expiry around 2028) — the split is explicitly positioned to offset expected sales pressure and biosimilar competition, which could materially reduce pembrolizumab revenue in coming years. Investors need to watch the pace of biosimilar entry, upcoming launch execution for pipeline assets, and how the company allocates capital between the two units. Merck to create separate cancer business to offset Keytruda patent loss, WSJ reports

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Merck & Co., Inc. has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.80.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

MRK stock opened at $123.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $111.13 and a 200-day moving average of $96.33. 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 12 month low of $73.31 and a 12 month high of $124.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $306.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.28.

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

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Johannes Jacobus Oosthuizen sold 15,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total transaction of $1,828,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 21,197 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,583,278.39. This trade represents a 41.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CMO Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.41, for a total value of $1,184,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 70,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,361,522.15. The trade was a 12.40% 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 valued at $38,281,735 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Company 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.