Montag A & Associates Inc. Lowers Position in Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK

Posted by Logan Wallace on Mar 4th, 2026

Montag A & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 143,680 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,323 shares during the quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $12,171,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DLD Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,889,340,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the second quarter worth $2,858,570,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 23.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,032,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,139,901,000 after buying an additional 5,135,748 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 35.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 19,456,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,540,145,000 after buying an additional 5,094,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 53,865,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,263,991,000 after buying an additional 4,636,183 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock opened at $119.67 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $295.87 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.27. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.31 and a 52-week high of $125.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 44.57%. The firm had revenue of $16.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.70%.

Key Headlines Impacting Merck & Co., Inc.

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

Positive Sentiment: Multiple Phase 3 wins for KEYTRUDA combination therapies and subsequent U.S./EU regulatory activity strengthen Merck’s oncology franchise and support continued revenue growth from its biggest drug. Merck Keytruda Combos Strengthen Oncology Platform And Raise Patent Questions
Positive Sentiment: KEYTRUDA remains the primary revenue driver (roughly half of pharma sales); strong 2025 sales momentum underpins near-term earnings expectations and helps explain why analysts still see upside despite recent gains. Merck’s Keytruda Drives its 2025 Revenue Surge: What’s Ahead?
Positive Sentiment: Strategic collaboration with AI firm Tempus aims to accelerate AI-driven precision medicine — a potential long-term revenue/efficiency positive that signals Merck investing in data/AI capabilities across drug development and commercialization. AI-Powered Tempus Inks New Multi-Year Merck Deal
Positive Sentiment: Value-oriented coverage highlights Merck as potentially undervalued despite a strong run — analysts point to modest upside, solid dividends and strategic reorganizations to offset Keytruda patent loss risk. Even After Rally, Merck May Be Undervalued, With Careful Planning for Keytruda in the Works
Neutral Sentiment: Management presentation transcript from the TD Cowen healthcare conference provides detailed commentary on pipeline, strategy and financial outlook — useful for longer-term thesis but no single market-moving disclosure was highlighted. Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Presents at TD Cowen 46th Annual Health Care Conference Transcript
Negative Sentiment: Shares have pulled back amid short-term profit-taking and market-wide rotation; coverage noting a recent dip may amplify selling even as fundamentals remain solid. Merck (MRK) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts

Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 121,573 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 68,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,211,341.40. This represents a 63.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard R. Deluca sold 37,685 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was 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 owned 160,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,368,240.08. The trade was a 19.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 320,176 shares of company stock valued at $38,281,735. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRK has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $116.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $122.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.88.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Merck & Co., Inc.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

(Free Report)

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.