Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Bought by Rafferty Asset Management LLC

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 4.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 279,848 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,466 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $23,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 237.4% during the third quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 307 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 51.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 366 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 302.3% during the third quarter. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 354 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the second quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $123.45 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a twelve month low of $73.31 and a twelve month high of $125.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $305.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.39.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.03. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 44.57% and a net margin of 28.08%.The company had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.72 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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, equities research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Late?stage data: WELIREG® (belzutifan) + LENVIMA® (lenvatinib) cut risk of progression or death by ~30% vs cabozantinib in previously treated advanced renal cell carcinoma — strengthens Merck’s portfolio and potential label/market expansion for belzutifan combos. WELIREG® (belzutifan) Plus LENVIMA® (lenvatinib) Reduced the Risk of Disease Progression or Death by 30% Compared to Cabozantinib in Certain Previously Treated Patients With Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)
• Positive Sentiment: Adjuvant benefit: KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) + WELIREG® showed a ~28% reduction in risk of recurrence or death vs KEYTRUDA alone in certain earlier?stage RCC patients — could broaden adjuvant use and support longer?term Keytruda revenue. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus WELIREG® (belzutifan) Given as Adjuvant Therapy Reduced the Risk of Disease Recurrence or Death by 28% Compared to KEYTRUDA Monotherapy in Certain Patients With Earlier-Stage Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)
• Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA combos show survival gains: Final KEYNOTE?B96 analysis reported significant overall survival improvement for KEYTRUDA + paclitaxel (± bevacizumab) in platinum?resistant recurrent ovarian cancer — strengthens case for additional approvals/uses. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Paclitaxel With or Without Bevacizumab Significantly Improved Key Secondary Endpoint of Overall Survival (OS) Versus Paclitaxel With or Without Bevacizumab in Patients With Platinum-Resistant Recurrent Ovarian Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Neoadjuvant/adjuvant progress: KEYTRUDA + Padcev reduced event?free survival events by 47% and deaths by 35% in cisplatin?eligible muscle?invasive bladder cancer — another high?impact potential indication. KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) Plus Padcev® (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) Reduced Risk of Event-Free Survival Events by 47% and Risk of Death by 35% for Cisplatin-Eligible Patients with Muscle-Invasive-Bladder-Cancer When-Given Before-and-After Surgery
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline collaborations: Synthekine is testing its IL?2 candidate STK?012 with Keytruda and chemo in PD?L1 negative NSCLC — external partnerships expand combo opportunities for Keytruda. Synthekine Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration with Merck to Evaluate STK-012 In Combination with Keytruda® (Pembrolizumab) and Chemotherapy in Ongoing Randomized Phase 2 Trial in First-Line, PD-L1 Negative Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage support: Royal Bank of Canada began coverage and publicly said Merck could return to growth sooner than the market expects — can lift sentiment and estimates. RBC Capital Sees Merck (MRK) Returning to Growth Sooner Than Market Expects
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate restructure: Merck is reorganizing into Oncology and Specialty/Pharma & Infectious Diseases teams ahead of Keytruda’s patent cliff — strategic but execution and cost implications will determine investor reaction. Merck Reshapes Drug Business As Keytruda Era Nears Turning Point
• Negative Sentiment: Gardasil sales weakness: Merck notified layoffs of ~150 workers at a US Gardasil manufacturing site amid sluggish Gardasil sales — signals vaccine revenue pressure even as cost cuts are implemented. Merck to lay off around 150 employees at US site amid slump in Gardasil sales
• Negative Sentiment: Retail sentiment cooling: Coverage notes Reddit trader enthusiasm has faded recently — a minor headwind to retail?driven momentum but unlikely to change fundamentals. Merck Stock Jumps But Reddit Traders Are Getting Cold Feet

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.15, for a total transaction of $14,485,422.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares in the company, valued at $8,211,341.40. This trade represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Michael Williams sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.91, for a total value of $609,550.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,838 shares in the company, valued at $3,759,460.58. This represents a 13.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 320,176 shares of company stock worth $38,281,735 over the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Guggenheim upped their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $82.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.88.

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.